The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 278 No 7441 p249
3 March 2007

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• White Paper (9)
• Community pharmacy (3)
• NHS
• Medicines recycling
• Physician-assisted suicide
• The Council

Letters to the Editor

Medicines recycling

Reasons for Society’s no-returns policy

From Miss P. R. Sejpal, MRPharmS

In response to the letter from Pamela Bradshaw (PJ, 17 February, p190) about the reissue of patient-returned medicines, I would like to explain the reasons for the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s policy on this matter. Every patient has a right to expect that the medicines they are supplied are of a high quality and fit for the intended purpose. The quality and safety of unused medicines that are returned to a pharmacy for disposal cannot be guaranteed. There is the potential that the returned medicine may have been incorrectly stored (eg, left near a radiator or in a moist environment) and, as a result, may no longer be efficacious or stable. There is also a risk that the returned medicine may have been tampered with in some way. Therefore, in the interest of patient safety, the Society’s Code of Ethics requires that pharmacists must not reuse patient-returned medicines.

The Society’s Code of Ethics reflects “Guidelines for drug donations” issued in 1999 by the World Health Organization. There it is stated that patient-returned drugs should not be donated as their safety and quality cannot be guaranteed.

Priya Sejpal
Professional Ethics Pharmacist
Royal Pharmaceutical Society

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