Disposal of household medication at Danish community pharmacies – a descriptive study

A large share of health care spending is used on medications, but many medications end up not being used, which threatens patient safety, the environment, and the health economics. Medication waste can originate from many sources such as production, packaging, logistics, and use of medication in both hospitals and households. This study concerns discarded medications from households, and the objective was to describe the amount and type of medication waste delivered by citizens at community pharmacies.,At 33 Danish community pharmacies, all discarded medications received from citizens at the counter were documented for one or two weeks each, in total 39 periods of 1 week. Guidelines for handling medication waste were used to secure the work environment at the pharmacies.,In total, 4,384 registrations of discarded medications were completed, ranging from six to 546 medications per pharmacy (average 112). Of these medications, 21% were unopened packages and 57% had not expired. Most medications were tablets (55%). Of the discarded medications 3,655 (83%) were identified with item number, and these consisted of 1,614 different item numbers. The primary group of discarded medications were painkillers (9%). The price for the discarded medications totaled € 78,000; however, this figure is attached with uncertainties.,The amount and type of discarded medication delivered at community pharmacies was very fluctuating. However, if the same amount was delivered at all Danish pharmacies year-around, it would correspond to 5 discarded medications every minute, causing unnecessary costs to individuals and society. This highlights the need to reduce medication waste.