Unused Pharmaceutical Disposal Program

1
Unused Pharmaceutical Disposal Program

• Public Law 2003
• Chapter 679
• Administered by MDEA

2
The Problem

• Unused prescription drugs at home.
• Prescription drug abuse
• Pharmacies reluctant or unable to take back
  unneeded drugs
• Disposal then is accomplished by flushing them
  down the toilet or discarding them in trash.
• Maine 1,763, 829 scripts schedule II-IV
  drugs. Ave. 1.34 scripts per person. PMP
  7/04-7/05

3
Environmental Issues.

• Pharmaceuticals are showing up in tests conducted
  on various bodies of water around the globe
• US Geologic Survey downstream of waste water
  treatment plants Kolpin 1999 2000
• Compounds not destroyed by sewerage treatment
  Antibiotic, antidepressants, tranquillizers,
  blood lipid regulators, anticancer drugs.
  Daughton 1999
• Estrogen disposal can interfere with fish
  reproduction Raloff 2004

4
Federal and State requirements

• Federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
  Adopted by Maine.
• Household paramaceutical waste is exempt from
  laws governing hazardous waste disposal.
• Prescription drugs separated from household waste
  and accumulated from more than one household must
  then be disposed of under federal regulations.
• Schedule II-V witnessed burn
• OTC pharmaceuticals non-witnessed burn.

5
Maine Drug Return Implementation
GroupRecommendations

• Voluntary turn-in events
• Penobscot County AARP
• A one day event at South Portland
  
• collected 55,000 pills. Enough to fill a
• 55 gal container
• Coordination MDEP, MDEA, DHHS, Atty Genl.
• Funding for collection Transportation, Storage
  and Disposal.

6
Recommendatons

• Mail-in program
• Packaging for Mailing
• Mail reciept, storage and disposal
• Funding no state funding.
• Starting date changed to July 2006
• Product stewardship responsibility of
  manufacturer

7
General Recommendations

• Redistribution program for unneeded
  pharmaceuticals of health facilities, drug
  manufacturere, drug wholesale terminal
  distributers and hospitals.
• Ammendment to federal regulations for safe
  effective methods of disposal for controlled
  substances.