An analysis of unused and expired medications in Mexican households

Gracia-Vásquez, Sandra; Lara, Evangelina Ramírez; Camacho-Mora, Ivonne Antonieta; Cantú-Cárdenas, L.G.; Gracia-Vásquez, Yolanda Araceli; Esquivel-Ferriño, Patricia C.; Ramírez-Cabrera, Mónica A.; González-Barranco, Patricia

doi:10.1007/s11096-014-0048-1

Cited by 58 publications

(69 citation statements)

References 25 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…There is no legislation regarding collection and treatment of household medical waste in Mexico [29]. However, 23 out of the 31 states in Mexico (for example, Nuevo Leon state), run the program “SINGREM” for collection and treatment of household medical waste.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Household medical waste disposal policy in Israel

Barnett-Itzhaki

Berman

Grotto

et al. 2016

Isr J Health Policy Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundLarge amounts of expired and unused medications accumulate in households. This potentially exposes the public to hazards due to uncontrolled use of medications. Most of the expired or unused medications that accumulate in households (household medical waste) is thrown to the garbage or flushed down to the sewage, potentially contaminating waste-water, water resources and even drinking water. There is evidence that pharmaceutical active ingredients reach the environment, including food, however the risk to public health from low level exposure to pharmaceuticals in the environment is currently unknown. In Israel, there is no legislation regarding household medical waste collection and disposal. Furthermore, only less than 14 % of Israelis return unused medications to Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) pharmacies.MethodsIn this study, we investigated world-wide approaches and programs for household medical waste collection and disposal.ResultsIn many countries around the world there are programs for household medical waste collection. In many countries there is legislation to address the issue of household medical waste, and this waste is collected in hospitals, clinics, law enforcement agencies and pharmacies. Furthermore, in many countries, medication producers and pharmacies pay for the collection and destruction of household medical waste, following the “polluter pays” principle.ConclusionsSeveral approaches and methods should be considered in Israel: (a) legislation and regulation to enable a variety of institutes to collect household medical waste (b) implementing the “polluter pays” principle and enforcing medical products manufactures to pay for the collection and destruction of household medical waste. (c) Raising awareness of patients, pharmacists, and other medical health providers regarding the health and environmental risks in accumulation of drugs and throwing them to the garbage, sink or toilet. (d) Adding specific instructions regarding disposal of the drug, in the medication label and leaflet. (e) Examining incentives for returning medications to pharmacies. (f) Examining drug collection from deceased in retirement homes and hospitals.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13584-016-0108-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

show abstract

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Household medical waste disposal policy in Israel

Barnett-Itzhaki

Berman

Grotto

et al. 2016

Isr J Health Policy Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In Mexico, manufacturers, distributors, and hospitals were responsible for the disposal of expired medication under general law governing the handling and processing of waste. In addition, some states in Mexico have implemented programs for the collection of unwanted medications from households [6]. In the Republic of Serbia, pharmacies are obliged by law to accept unused and expired medications from the public and retain them as pharmaceutical waste, which is returned to wholesalers, manufacturers, or special operators trained in the collection and transport of waste for destruction [7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigating the disposal of expired and unused medication in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Improper disposal of medication has several possible consequences such as childhood poisoning, environmental pollution, a negative impact on wildlife, and antibiotic resistance. The number of studies conducted to characterize pharmaceutical disposal practices is limited, particularly in the Middle East. Objective The aim of this cross-sectional study was to examine the behaviour of individuals with respect to the disposal of expired and unused medications. Furthermore, we aimed to identify the best methods of education regarding appropriate, safe disposal of medication. Setting The study was carried out in King Khalid University Hospital (KKUH), and King Saud University (KSU), during a 3-month period from February 2015 to April 2015. Method Twelve hundred patients were randomly selected from KKUH and KSU. Participants were invited to complete paper-based questionnaire with self enumeration. Pilot testing was conducted and involved 50 randomly selected participants. Main outcome measures The proportion of expired medications present in the home and their therapeutic groups, disposal methods of expired and unused medications, and preferred educational methods regarding safe and proper disposing of medications. Results A substantial proportion (79.15 %) of respondents disposed of unwanted medication via household waste, while a small proportion (1.70 %) returned unwanted medication to a pharmacy. Although currently practised disposal methods are undoubtedly unsuitable, 70.20 % of respondents considered finding appropriate, safe methods via which to dispose of unwanted medication their responsibility, and 78.6 % expressed an interest in receiving information concerning the correct disposal of unwanted medication. Conclusion We have demonstrated that a low percentage of respondents have ever received information regarding correct medication disposal. Moreover, the results have shown that over half of the respondents store antibiotics in their households. Additionally, respondents weren't aware of the consequences of keeping expired medication at home. It is quite clear that the awareness of proper and safe drug disposal among the Saudi population is quite low making it a priority of concerned authorities to implement educational programs.

show abstract

“…11,14,[16][17][18] Table 2 summarise the reasons for medication waste production and the commonest cause was expiration of medicines in most of the studies.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%