New Delhi: The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), India's premier drug regulator, has issued guidelines for disposal of expired and unused medicines to prevent misuse and curb antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in medicines.
AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses and fungi become immune to drugs over time, making it harder to treat conditions. This move is significant as AMR has become a public health threat in India.
“This initiative also aims to curb antimicrobial resistance of drugs, which is a result of improper methods of discharging drugs and chemicals into the environment, which poses a threat to the environment, causes serious problems for aquatic life and has a negative impact on the ecosystem,” said a government official aware of the matter.
A report on the issue by a sub-committee of the government's Drugs Consultative Committee (DCC), along with the guidance document on the safe disposal of unused/expired medicines, was discussed extensively by the DCC.
“The DCC agreed in principle with the subcommittee report and the guideline and recommended that the subcommittee examine the procedures mentioned in the draft guideline regarding disposal of expired/unused medicines by the general public before finalising it,” the official added.
Queries sent to the Ministry of Health remained unanswered at the time of going to press.
In India, expenditure on medicines constitutes a substantial part of health expenditure, but there is no proper channel to use unused medicines that are within their expiry date. Some western countries like the US have a system of taking back medicines in their national health care system.
The Indian pharmaceutical market is estimated to be around ₹1.8 trillion. Approximately ₹270 crore worth of medicines are dead drunk because they are stored longer than their expiration date, according to the International Journal of Pharmaceutical Research and Applications in its July issue.
It was noted that unused medicines at home can become waste for various reasons. Non-compliance, disappearance of symptoms of the disease, change of medicine or treatment, and purchase errors are the reasons why the medicine remains unused or expires at home.
According to experts, there is an urgent need for proper education, information and guidance for patients and their families on the storage and disposal of unused and expired medicines to protect public health and the environment.
'No more than 2% of medicines expire'
Rajiv Singhal, chairman and general secretary of All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD), said the total revenue of the pharmaceutical sector was approximately ₹2.10 trillion and no more than 2% of medicines expire.
“We send most of these expired medicines to the company's incineration site for destruction of the medicines. However, medicines that remain unused and expired at home need to be disposed of carefully. They should not be thrown in the dustbin as they can be eaten by animals and cause harm to the environment. We also train pharmacy owners on how to dispose of medicines safely and properly,” Singhal said.
Dr Santy Sajan COO Paras Health said: “The problem of expired medicines is both a significant economic loss and a public health concern. Expired medicines can lead to serious health problems if ingested. Improper disposal, such as flushing medicines down the toilet or throwing them in the trash, can lead to contamination of water supplies and soil. We hope that the guideline will provide detailed procedures for the collection, storage, transportation and disposal of such medicines so that they are managed in a manner that protects the environment and public health.”
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