European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

DRUG DISPOSAL VIGILANCE (A REVIEW ARTICLE)

Kaur Bhavnish*, Kosey Sourabh, Kumar Manish and Garg Rajneesh

ABSTRACT

Knowledge regarding the safe disposal of pharmaceutical products has not been sufficiently addressed yet. Safe disposal of drugs is discarding them in a way to prevent the abuse and misuse of drugs. This vigilance is important to reduce the medication waste generated from the production factories, from overprescribing of drugs by healthcare providers, expired drugs, opened drug containers and partially used medication. Patients usually dispose of unused drugs that remain after the end of medical treatment in the trash. Throwing them is often not the safest way and flushing may contaminate the water supply. Thus, inappropriate disposal of drugs can cause drug pollution. Almost all medicines, except those on the FDA Flush List, can be thrown into your household trash by suitable ways. For disposal of drugs in large amounts, organizations might choose to return them to the manufacturer, putting them in landfills, using incineration (medium and high temperatures) or dumping the drugs into sewers. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) tells us which medicines should be flushed when they are no longer needed. Also, particular attention must be given to the disposal of controlled substances, anti-cancer drugs, antiseptics, and disinfectants. World Health Organization (WHO), European Union (EU), and FDA have developed guidelines for safe disposal of pharmaceuticals. The National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators (NADDI) sponsors a website to locate Rx Drug Drop Boxes for safe medication disposal.

Keywords: Safe disposal, FDA Flush List, Drug drop boxes.