Ireland’s minister for health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill has announced a new scheme allowing the public to dispose of unused and out-of-date medications in any Irish community pharmacy.
The Department of Health (DoH) said last week that the MediBack service “helps prevent antimicrobial resistance, reduces the risk of falsified or diverted medicines entering the black market, lowers the risk of accidental poisoning and supports suicide prevention and self-harm reduction by limiting access to unused medicines”.
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MacNeill said pharmacists are “uniquely positioned to accept these medicines as they are highly accessible, experienced in safe disposal and appreciate the risks that unused or expired medicines can pose”.
“The most effective way to prevent problems associated with unused or expired medicines is to reduce the quantities of these medicines in circulation within the community,” she added.
“Most accessible healthcare professionals”
President of the Irish Pharmacy Union Caoimhe McAuley called community pharmacists “the most accessible healthcare professionals in Ireland” and said that the MediBack service is “another example of the trusted role community pharmacies play in protecting patients’ health”.
The DoH said community pharmacy participation in the scheme is mandatory and the service is free for the public to use.
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It added that the “vast majority” of human medicines, as well as some for use in animals, will be accepted under the scheme - however needles, lancets and medication for farm animals cannot be disposed of in this way.
It comes after National Pharmacy Association analysis found that wasted medicines cost the NHS “upwards of £480 million” last year.
The body estimated that around 3,400 tonnes-worth of partially used medicines were disposed of last year in England alone.
