The Slovak Pharmacy Chamber drew attention to the accumulation of medicines in Slovak households. On the occasion of the coming World Earth Day, they presented the Drug Amnesty project. Róbert Babeľa, State Secretary of MZ SR, drew attention to compliance with good practices in the disposal of medicines. With medicines accumulated in the home, accidental poisoning of children may also threaten.
One of the causes of oversupply was also the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, during the pandemic restrictions, the number of drugs removed from the pharmacy increased, people made supplies that they did not have the opportunity to consume. This also leads to the generation of drug waste. It is in our interest to eliminate such waste in an adequate manner and to avoid inappropriate disposal, but also possible accidents in the home, said at the press conference State Secretary of the Ministry of Health Prof. PhDr. Róbert Babeľa, PhD., MBA, MSc (iHTA), FISAC. He added that the accumulation of medicines in the home can lead to accidental poisoning in children, but also to drug abuse.
The Slovak Pharmacy Chamber warns that we should not accumulate drugs that we do not need. Every year the patient pays more money, but not all drugs issued are consumed. This creates waste that is potentially hazardous to both households and the environment. Almost two thirds of Europeans have access to the pharmacy within 5 minutes and almost all in 30 minutes. The population of Slovakia has not changed significantly in the last 10 years, but the number of pharmacies has increased by 20%. This is linked to a higher number of medicines issued. Ideally, the increasing number of pharmacies should mean not only better access to medicines, but also the possibility of responsible and ecological disposal of medicines that are no longer fit for purpose in the home. We therefore consider it necessary to draw attention to the existing collection system for unused medicines in pharmacies, as well as to the prevention of unnecessary accumulation of medicines, said PharmDr. Ondrej Sukeľ, President of the Slovak Pharmacy Chamber.
Most common errors in drug disposal
Unjustified consumption and inappropriate disposal of medicinal products leads to excessive penetration into the environment. Approximately 10% of the active substances or other substances from medicines and pharmaceutical products found in the environment come from improperly disposed products that have been flushed into the toilet, spilled into drains or otherwise inadequately disposed of in municipal waste.
From a health and environmental point of view, unused medicinal products may constitute hazardous waste, which requires special disposal for collection and disposal due to potential toxicity. Although medicines are not dangerous to humans, they can contaminate the air, water and soil, and thus various natural habitats, in case of improper disposal. We return unused medicines to the pharmacy
The patient may take unused medicines back to any pharmacy where they are taken over by a trained pharmaceutical employee. They are then processed in an appropriate manner, controlled by the State Medicines Control Office. However, the collection and disposal system of unused medicinal products and medicinal products after the expiry date is unsustainable in the long term, given the current trend of increasing and poorly sorted waste. One of my priorities is to analyse and propose solutions on other funding options for the system, said ŠÚKL director PharmDr. Peter Potúček PhD., MSc. The pharmacy includes unused tablets, capsules, cones, eye drops, syrups, ointments, gels, used syringes with sealed needle, insulin pens and ampoules of solution for injection. These are returned in their original inner packaging (blister, bottle, tube), the outer paper box is sorted in the normal way. This applies to both human and veterinary medicinal products.
Only the outer packaging of any medicinal product, medical devices, dietetic food, food supplements, baby food, cosmetic products and other assortments purchased at the pharmacy are intended for disposal at home.
Drug Amnesty Week
On the occasion of World Earth Day, the Slovak Pharmacy Chamber announced the Drug Amnesty Week, which will be from 20.4. to 29.4. 2022 in all Slovak pharmacies. The aim is to appeal to Slovaks to embark on spring cleaning in home pharmacies. He wants to motivate people not to keep expired and unused household medications or to try to disarm them in their own direction. Instructions on how to properly return individual drugs to the pharmacy can be found on social networks of FB/IG Slovak Pharmacy Chamber:
www.slek.sk
https://www.facebook.com/slovenskalekarnickakomora
https://www.instagram.com/slovenskalekarnickakomora/
Note: Medicines and pharmaceuticals are also taken away from the population outside this week.