Discarded Drugs

1
Discarded Drugs

• Cheri Grasso
• Health and Environmental Investigator
• Local Hazardous Waste Management Program

2
Introduction

• Educational on-site consultations
• IRAC Pharmaceutical Workgroup
• Discarded Drugs

3
Unusable Pharmaceuticals

• Unusable drugs sent to reverse distributor not a
  waste until declared such by reverse distributor
• When not returned to reverse distributor and
  cant be used it becomes a waste

4
Sources of Waste

• Expired
• Dispensed to patient and returned
• Spills
• Unlabeled
• Contaminated

• Indated recalled or discontinued
• Adulterated
• Improperly stored
• Incorrectly compounded

5
How Administered

• Syringes
• Bags
• Tubing
• Cups

• Solid (tablets, capsules, etc.)
• Liquid

6
Types of Drugs

• Controlled Substances
• Legend Drugs
• Over-the-Counter (OTC)

7
Controlled Substances

• Regulated by Drug Enforcement Administration
  (DEA)
• About 10 percent of all pharmaceuticals
• Five categories or schedules
• different reporting levels

8
Schedules

• 1 Marijuana, crack, cocaine
• licensed only to researchers, police
• 2 Morphene
• highly susceptible to abuse
• 3 Codeine
• 4 Muscle relaxants
• 5 Cough medicines with codeine

9
Legend Drugs

• Requires a prescription from a doctor,
  veterinarian or other qualified professional
• Examples
• Antibiotics
• Antidepressants
• Insulin

10
Over the Counter Drugs (OTC)

• Can be purchased directly from a pharmacist or
  drug store without a prescription
• Examples
• Aspirin
• Tylenol
• Some antihistamines
• Cough syrups without codeine