All posts by Faigie Carmel

Stop Vaping! Get Informed First.

There is a VAPING CRISIS currently underway! A new, swiftly manifesting, life threatening illness has been linked to Vaping. Are you at risk? Put down the e-cigarette and get some information before putting it back in your mouth.

As of October 1st, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (the CDC) had reported 1,080 cases of VAPI- vaping-associated-pulmonary injury.

(There is also another term, EVALI, which stands for e-cigarette and vaping associated lung injury. )

The report started with a handful of cases announced at the end of July, after patients showed up in emergency rooms with a mysterious and fast-progressing respiratory illness that had no known cause. Doctors discovered only one common denominator between the patients: Their vaping habit.

The FDA, CDC and State Health Officials stepped in to investigate so they can determine a specific cause, and how to prevent, diagnose and treat Vape-related illnesses in the future.

So far, the lung disease has not been linked to any specific device, brand, or flavor of vape, but some ingredients have been singled out as possible culprits.

These ingredients are not usually present in regulated products, and have been found highly prevalent in black market, or knockoff vaping hardware.

Currently, the main suspects in this ongoing investigation are Vitamin E oil and THC. Both were used and inhaled by the VAPI patients.

The VAPI/EVALI illness typically begins with shortness of breath, coughing, fatigue, fever, symptoms of severe pneumonia, and respiratory failure. It has affected mostly young people so far, and the death toll is still rising.

There are two related hot topics that have come up due to the Vaping Illness crisis:

Teen vaping, and illicit vaping products.

Teen vaping has been a rising concern for a while.

Long before an 18-year-old in Wisconsin walked into her doctor’s office gasping for air in July, there has been a general panic about the teen vaping rate. Public health officials, pediatricians, and parents, were all expressing their concerns.

In 2018, Scott Gottlieb, who was then the head of the FDA, labeled youth vaping an “epidemic” and declared his intent to target teen vaping and curb illegal e-cigarette sales.

Bans especially targeted flavored vape products, which teens favor. The flavor makes the products seem more innocuous than they actually are, and teens forget to be cautious with them.

The other issue that has come up is the origin of the THC and Vitamin E oil, which are likely the culprits that caused the VAPI.

THC is the psychoactive substance in marijuana. Cannabis products are already under a federal ban in most states. Even in states where cannabis sale is legal, sales are still age-restricted.

There is a thriving illicit THC and flavored vaping products market, though, where the items are not regulated or tested. 

As reference, before any licensed California cannabis producer can send out their products, the company has to send them to a lab to test for numerous toxins. Just as an example, at the California CannaSafe lab, products are tested for 66 pesticides, heavy metals, solvents, mold-related toxins, and more (including mouse hairs). Now, after VAPI, the company will be testing for Vitamin E oils as well.

Recently, CannaSafe obtained and tested some 100 black-market THC oils. There were pesticides in them that would have failed California’s standards. There was a presence of Vitamin E in about 90% of the oils.

One of the pesticides CannaSafe found in unregulated THC above tolerated levels was Myclobutanil, (also called Eagle 20) which converts to hydrogen cyanide when heated.

Hydrogen Cyanide is a base for Zyklon-B, the gas the Nazis used in the gas chambers.

In legal cannabis, California regulations permit no more than 100 parts per billion of hydrogen cyanide to be present.

Due to the high level of unregulated THC products available for sale, some states have taken to banning e-cigarettes entirely. Critics, however, claim that if there are less approved and regulated products available, more people will flock to buy the stuff from illicit sources, making the problem worse, and not better.

So, before you pick up that e-cigarette, think about where you bought the parts and accessories.

Always double check on the dispensary/store/seller to make sure they are abiding by the product’s safety regulations, especially if you are smoking something with THC in it. 

FDA officials said investigators from its Office of Criminal Investigations have been pursuing a parallel investigation since shortly after the illnesses were first reported this summer. They are investigating criminal activities involving FDA-regulated products, arresting those responsible for breaches in said regulations and bringing them before the Justice Department for prosecution. The focus of the investigation is the chain of supply, so if you come forward with information as a retailer, they may not be prosecuting you.

The public has been urged to be vigilant about any unregulated vaping products they are using themselves, or those used by family members, and contact their health provider immediately if they develop unusual symptoms. Unknown or unregulated substances are always dangerous to ingest or inhale.

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We are MedWaste Management – California’s medical waste disposal experts!

Established in 2008, MedWaste Management brings great benefit to the healthcare industry and the general public alike. We publish this blog to to spread useful and practical information to help people stay safe, smart and healthy!

Call us with any questions or to start service at (866) 254-5105. We are always happy to speak!

Check out our services and other great resources in the links below.

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MedWaste’s Blog Index

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Learn How To Properly Manage & Dispose of Household Medical Waste

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PRE-TAT Cream is Being Recalled Due to Risk of Infection

Ridge Properties, LLC, issued a recall of 4% lidocaine topical cream & liquid gel products like PRE-TAT and SUPERIOR Pain and Itch Relief, sold at the consumer level.

The products are being recalled due to Microbiological Contamination and Superpotency.

These products are used as a topical anesthetic and are packaged in black jars or bottles with metallic red or green lettering.

Products were distributed nationwide through online sales at the following websites: amazon.com, ebay.com, walmart.com, tatbalm.net, & naturallyhl.com.

The products being recalled include:

PRE-TAT– a numbing agent/topical anesthetic used before applying the tattoo.

The risk from using a contaminated product on skin before a tattoo are greater than normal since the skin is traumatized right after application.

Also, the tattooing process itself can have infectious complications. Introducing more microbiological contamination really increases the risk for getting those complications along with the tattoo.

Soothing Sore Relief Cream– marketed for soothing pain and/or itching associated with hemorrhoids and bedsores.

Superior Pain and Itch Relief– marketed as a numbing agent and topical anesthetic.

The potency of lidocaine in these products is higher than the amount written on the label.

The problem with using a greater potency of lidocaine is the increased risk of methemoglobinemia, a blood disorder that involves the production of abnormal amounts of methemoglobin.

The FDA website has a full list of the recalled products, with their lot numbers and expiration dates.

To date, the company has not received any reports of adverse events related to this recall.
No products from the contaminated lots are currently for sale, or in stock at company or any of its distributors.

The company is notifying its customers by press release and recall letter, and is arranging for replacement of all recalled products.

If you have one of the products with the specified lot number, stop using the product and discard it.

You can also return the product and use the recall response form to reach out to the company for a replacement. Email the form to prncustomercare@gmail.com, or use snail mail to send it to the following address:

Pain Relief Naturally Recall Department
4995 Ridge Dr NE
Salem, OR, 97301

Forms will be sent to you if you have bought this product recently.

If you have questions regarding this recall, contact the company by phone at 877-906-4806, 9 am – 5 pm Monday-Friday, pacific time, or by email at prncustomercare@gmail.com.

If you used the recalled product, and have experienced problems, talk to your healthcare provider. Adverse reactions or quality problems experienced with the use of this product can also be reported to the FDA’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program either online, by regular mail or by fax.

  • Complete and submit the report Online
  • Regular Mail or Fax: Download form or call 1- 800-332-1088 to request a reporting form, then complete and return to the address on the pre-addressed form, or submit by fax to 1-800-FDA-0178

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We are MedWaste Management – California’s medical waste disposal experts!

Established in 2008, MedWaste Management brings great benefit to the healthcare industry and the general public alike. We publish this blog to to spread useful and practical information to help people stay safe, smart and healthy!

Call us with any questions or to start service at (866) 254-5105. We are always happy to speak!

Check out our services and other great resources in the links below.

Medical Waste Disposal Services 

MedWaste’s Blog Index

Medical Waste Regulations

MedWaste’s Product Store 

Home Generated Medical Waste Drop-Off Points In California

 

The DEA Has Reached 17 National Prescription Drug Take Back Days!

The DEA held its 17th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on April 27, 2019.

The idea of the National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is to provide a convenient, responsible, and safe way to get rid of unused or unwanted prescription drugs. It is also a way of spreading information and educating the public about the safe disposal of medications and the potential for their abuse.

The Center for Disease Control reported in 2014 that almost 2 million Americans abused, or were dependent on, prescription opioids. (Most commonly Methadone, Oxycodone and Hydrocodone.) Unused portions of these medications must be disposed of properly to avoid harm and prevent addiction.

Other medications, besides for opioids, must also be properly disposed of.

Some medications are more harmful when misused than others. There are medications that can be fatal in a single dose if taken by a person they weren’t prescribed for. Other side effects of prescription drug abuse range anywhere from mild mental confusion to failure of vital organs.

I Missed the Drug Take Back Day! But I still have Medicine I’d like to get rid of.

A) Visit the DEA website for ideas and temporary drop-off locations in your area.

B) Check the package for disposal directions.

Some medications indicate that they should be flushed down a sink or toilet when no longer needed. Only flush drugs that indicate they are safe to be flushed!!

The FDA has a list of drugs that can be flushed on the FDA website and you can always double check.

For other drugs, try medication disposal kiosks at your local Walgreens. Check if they have a kiosk in your area using the Walgreens Store Locator.

A medication disposal kiosk is a lot like a mailbox. You bring your unused or expired medication and drop it in the slot at no cost to you. It is safe and convenient. The kiosks are available during regular pharmacy hours and you can use them to get rid of prescriptions, prescription and over the counter ointments and creams, liquids, lotions, pet medications, prescription patches, over-the-counter medications and vitamins.

Kiosks do not accept needles, inhalers, aerosol cans, thermometers, hydrogen peroxide, and illegal drugs.

C) Try community programs, like household hazardous waste collection events or medical waste disposal companies that will do a one-time pickup. We’ve compiled a couple of California drop off points for you.

We are MedWaste Management – California’s medical waste disposal experts!

Established in 2008, MedWaste Management brings great benefit to the healthcare industry and the general public alike. We publish this blog to to spread useful and practical information to help people stay safe, smart and healthy!

Call us with any questions or to start service at (866) 254-5105. We are always happy to speak!

Check out our services and other great resources in the links below.

Medical Waste Disposal Services 

MedWaste’s Blog Index

Medical Waste Regulations

MedWaste’s Product Store 

Home Generated Medical Waste Drop-Off Points In California

 

This Product Has Been Recalled 75 Times

On May 6, 2019, Vivimed Life Sciences put out another recall for losartan.

The American Health Packaging recall of valsartan on March 7, 2019, the 75th recall of blood pressure medication since the initial contamination occurred.

The problem with the contamination of blood pressure medication has gotten so widespread that the FDA authorized a new generic of valsartan to help relieve shortages when lots after lots of the existing medication were recalled.

Also, the agency compiled a list of 40 blood pressure medications that seem free of contamination. You can find that list here.

Which blood pressure drugs have been recalled?

The common prescription drugs for blood pressure that have been recalled so far include valsartan, losartan, and irbesartan in different combinations and from different manufacturers.

Why have the drugs been recalled?

In each case, a recalled drug was contaminated with N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA) or N-Nitroso N-Methyl 4-amino butyric acid (NMBA).

Those chemicals are believed to cause cancer in humans. Research also suggests NDEA can cause liver and blood cell damage.

NDEA is a byproduct of industrial processes, and the FDA is working on identifying how it has been getting into the medication. It can also be created by other chemical reactions. It is found in very low levels in some food and in drinking water, and is used to make rocket fuel.

Can you get cancer from the contaminated drugs?

The FDA says the risk is very low. They estimate that if 8,000 people took the highest valsartan dose, which is 320 milligrams, from recalled batches every day for 4 years, there would likely only be one additional case of cancer over the life of those 8,000 people.

What should you do if you have a perscription for one of the recalled drugs?

Don’t stop taking the medication. The threat from the contamination in the drug is a lesser threat than the consequences of stopping the use of the medication.

However, do contact your pharmacist or Doctor as soon as possible.

They can help you find an alternative.

Because so much of the blood pressure drugs have been recalled, this may be a little more difficult than usual. Also, keep in mind that drugs that are not on the list of recalls are more in demand and therefore the price may have gotten higher.

WebMD has an article up that summarizes the rash of blood pressure medication recalls. You can read the full report here.

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We are MedWaste Management – California’s medical waste disposal experts!

Established in 2008, MedWaste Management brings great benefit to the healthcare industry and the general public alike. We publish this blog to to spread useful and practical information to help people stay safe, smart and healthy!

Call us with any questions or to start service at (866) 254-5105. We are always happy to speak!

Check out our services and other great resources in the links below.

Medical Waste Disposal Services 

MedWaste’s Blog Index

Medical Waste Regulations

MedWaste’s Product Store 

Home Generated Medical Waste Drop-Off Points In California

 

ANOTHER Recall?? More Blood Pressure Meds Taken Off The Market.

“Legacy Pharmaceutical Packaging, LLC Issues Voluntary Nationwide Recall of Losartan Potassium Tablets, USP, 25mg, 50mg, And 100mg Due to The Detection of Trace Amounts Of N-Nitroso N-Methyl 4-Amino Butyric Acid (NMBA) Impurity Found in The Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API)”.

We have been following recall notices about blood pressure drugs valsartan and losartan. 

This latest recall follows several others announced since July, when the FDA announced the recall of five separate valsartan blood pressure drugs over possible NDEA and NDMA contamination.

Many more were announced in August as the recall spread to Canada and the European Union. And earlier this month, a blood pressure drug known as irbesartan was recalled as well.

So far, recall notices have been issued for multiple lots, with multiple updates, by multiple generic drug manufacturers. Some of the manufacturers who issued recalls in the past several months include:

Teva, Legacy, Torrent, Sandov, Macleods,  Aurobindo Pharma USA,   Mylan’s.

This is by far the longest-running, ongoing spread of recalls we’ve noticed in the past three years.

What is going on?

Turns out that we weren’t the only curious ones. Bloomberg.com spent a year investigating the FDA’s regulations of the generic drug industry and found a drop-off in inspections and the softening of penalties when problems are identified. Data integrity is compromised as well. FDA inspections at factories from West Virginia to China give cause to doubt the data meant to prove the safety and efficacy of drugs.

Bloomberg’s has done a lot of research on generic drugs and the FDA’s quality control. One of their conclusion was that due to the data integrity problems, even the drugs that are not being recalled may not be as effective or safe as they are meant to be.

Safety and efficacy concerns are not limited to drugs using active ingredients from India and China, but also to drugs manufactured in the States.

Bloomberg has a host of articles around the subject of generic drugs and where we are headed, and they are not encouraging.

One of the reasons for the increased laxity in regulations may be the generic drug initiative run by Scott Gottlieb, FDA Commissioner.

Scott Gottlieb was the FDA Commissioner since May 2017, and spearheaded several important initiatives. Among these are finding solutions to the opioid crises, food safety modernization, an initiative to minimize youth nicotine, youth vaping, and general nicotine addiction.

Another top priority for Gottlieb was getting more generic drugs into the market. The extra competition would drive down prices. This has drawn praise from both parties in Congress and, as an aside, is one of the issues President Trump said he would take care of if he was voted President. Everybody was happy.

In the effort to fast-track generic drug manufacture, some approvals for generic drugs may have come at the expense of quality assurance and oversight to ensure the efficacy and safety of the drugs.

On March 5, 2019, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb announced that he was resigning from his post as FDA Commissioner. He will be leaving in April. Will the FDA tighten regulations after he leaves? We can’t be sure.

They will definitely keep working on keeping more drugs accessible to more people- and on the other initiatives Gottlieb spearheaded during his reign as the FDA Commissioner.

Perhaps, now that Gottlieb put a system in place, they will spend more time fixing the bugs in the system and plugging the holes that allow ineffective and unsafe drugs to hit the market. Maybe we will all notice that our medication is working better all of a sudden, and spend less time visiting Doctors to try different versions of what is supposed to be the same basic drug. Maybe the drug prices will go up again. Who knows?

In the meantime, keep checking for updates on drug recalls on our website, or go directly to the FDA’s website.

Above all, Be Safe.

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We are MedWaste Management – California’s medical waste disposal experts!

Established in 2008, MedWaste Management brings great benefit to the healthcare industry and the general public alike. We publish this blog to to spread useful and practical information to help people stay safe, smart and healthy!

Call us with any questions or to start service at (866) 254-5105. We are always happy to speak!

Check out our services and other great resources in the links below.

Medical Waste Disposal Services 

MedWaste’s Blog Index

Medical Waste Regulations

MedWaste’s Product Store 

Home Generated Medical Waste Drop-Off Points In California

 

New Year, Old Crisis: The Opioid Epidemic in 2019

The opioid crisis is still one of the most critical public health challenges of our time period. The death toll is still rising. An estimated 130 people are dying from opioid-related overdose every day.

The Department of Health and Human Services released a plan for dealing with the opioid crisis in 2019.

It has five key points:

  1. Better prevention, treatment and recovery services for addicts.
  2. Developing better methods for pain management.
  3. More quality research on pain and research on addiction.
  4. More attention on overdose-reversing drugs
  5. Get better, more accurate data on the scope of the opioid epidemic.

The Department has $10 billion allocated to put this five-point plan into action.

The Department of Justice Department of Justice is also implementing new and creative policies to fight the opioid scourge.

In 2019, they’re proposing to decrease manufacturing quotas for opioid production.

Time will tell if the quota will go through, as patients who are on opioids may strenuously object to policies that will limit their access to drugs they are currently taking for pain management. So we might see a plethora of petitions and fights over opioid policies this coming year.

The nation’s biggest drugmakers and distributors face a wave of civil lawsuits that could total tens of billions of dollars in damages.

Local governments are suing drug companies that manufacture opioids, distribute them, or sell them to patients. The coming year will see us through the big court fights. The litigation process is going to evolve over the next year. It will likely follow a similar pattern as the lawsuits against tobacco manufacturers. First, States will need to prove that opioids are harmful to patients, that the companies were unequivocally aware of the risks to users, and that the patients could not assume responsibility for the risks because the risks were concealed and patients and prescribers of the drug were not adequately informed of the risks by the manufacturers. Companies will likely be sued for the cost of healthcare and treatment for opioid addiction that the State incurred, or to help defray the cost of opening more addiction treatment centers in States that are desperately strapped for the necessary funds.

So far, the claims are that dozens of companies (manufacturers, distributors, and pharmacies) made billions of dollars flooding the U.S. with prescription pain pills. On top of that, the claim accuses the companies of a concerted effort to mislead the public and physicians about the dangers of opioid medications. One example is Purdue Pharma, who created Oxycontin in the 1990s, marketed it aggressively, and advertised the following:

“In fact, the rate of addiction amongst pain patients who are treated by doctors is much less than one percent…” “These drugs should be used much more than they are for patients in pain.”

There are also smaller lawsuits pending against prescribing Doctors.

Boston U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling has been sending letters to Doctors whose patients died opioid-related deaths within 60 days of being prescribed opioids.

They are reminders and warnings, he says, that his Department is keeping an eye out for ethical prescribing practices of potentially lethal substances.

There have been Doctors indicted for manslaughter over opioid-related deaths, and the coming year will probably see more Doctors in court for their lax prescription practices.

We will be following the various lawsuits.

The United States has been pushing for better regulation of fentanyl in China for years, without much luck.

Maybe 2019 will bring changes in China and their regulatory laws.

Who knows? Although, considering the huge amount of money China is making off fentanyl sales and distribution in China, they probably won’t be so quick to completely cut such a profitable industry.

Maybe in 2019 we’ll find out if that wall between the U.S. and Mexico will ever be finished.

The next 12 months might just redefine the way America thinks about and responds to the opioid epidemic that now claims more than 40,000 lives each year.

This coming year is going to bring more contention and more awareness around the subject of opioids than last year. It’s a trending topic. Government agencies, News reporting agencies, Law Enforcement Agencies, Schools and Community Organizations, are all going to address aspects of the opioid crisis over the coming year. We can all gear up and find a way to help. The opioid crisis is not going away anytime soon. Hopefully the coming year will also bring surprising initiatives and solutions that will drive down the opioid overdose death rates and the rate of overall prescription and addiction.

The DEA and Google both provide locators to find your nearest prescription drug take back locations.

Check out The DEA and Google pages below. They contain tools and more info on the ever growing efforts to help people properly dispose of their unused prescription drugs. This is certainly part of the bigger plan to help end the opioid crisis.

DEA’s Prescription Drug Take Back Location Tool

Google’s Prescription Drug Take Back Location Tool

We are MedWaste Management – California’s medical waste disposal experts!

Established in 2008, MedWaste Management brings great benefit to the healthcare industry and the general public alike. We publish this blog to to spread useful and practical information to help people stay safe, smart and healthy!

Call us with any questions or to start service at (866) 254-5105. We are always happy to speak!

Check out our services and other great resources in the links below.

Medical Waste Disposal Services 

MedWaste’s Blog Index

Medical Waste Regulations

MedWaste’s Product Store 

Home Generated Medical Waste Drop-Off Points In California

 

 

 

Ibuprofen for Infants Is Being Recalled by Tris Pharma, Inc.

Three lots of Infants’ Ibuprofen Concentrated Oral Suspension, USP (NSAID) 50 mg per 1.25 mL, are being recalled by Tris Pharma.

These lots had potentially higher concentrations of ibuprofen in the bottles. 

It is possible that infants, who are more susceptible to slight variations in potency, may suffer adverse side effects if the medication is a higher concentration than listed.

Ibuprofen is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), used commonly for pain relief. It works by blocking your body’s production of substances that cause inflammation. This effect helps to decrease swelling, pain, or fever.

Possible side effects from an incorrect dose of ibuprofen may include permanent NSAID-associated renal injury.

Infants taking ibuprofen can suffer serious bleeding as a side effect- usually gastrointestinal bleeding, commonly in the stomach but possibly anywhere along the gastrointestinal tract. Bloody vomit, a stomachache that doesn’t go away, and feeling faint are indicators of stomach bleeding.

Other possible side effects are liver problems like jaundice and hepatitis. As many as 15 percent of infants taking ibuprofen showed elevated liver function.

When giving a child ibuprofen, keep an eye out for nausea, vomiting, epigastric pain,and, more rarely, diarrhea.

Tris Pharma, Inc., sold the affected lots to only one customer, who distributed the ibuprofen to Family Wellness, CVS, and Equate, among others. Tris Pharma, Inc. has urgently notified this customer and is arranging the return of all affected products.

To date, Tris Pharma, Inc. hasn’t received any reports of adverse side effects related to the lots they are recalling.

The affected lots are listed on the FDA website.

Tris Pharma is a fully integrated pharmaceutical company focused on the development of innovative medicines that address unmet patient needs. Using its proprietary technology platform, LiquiXR®, Tris has pioneered the delivery of sustained release in the liquid, chewable, orally disintegrating tablet, and other dosage forms that benefits a wide variety of patients and their unique needs. Tris’ Nobuse™ technology provides abuse deterrence for opioids and other abuse-prone drugs. Tris’ research, manufacturing and commercial facilities are located in Central New Jersey. For more information, please visit their website. .

Consumers with questions regarding this ibuprofen recall can contact Tris Customer Service at 732-940-0358 (Monday through Friday, 8:00am ET- 5:00pm PT) or via email at Customer Service Email .

Adverse reactions or quality problems associated with the use of this product should be reported to a physician or hospital. After that, they should be reported to FDA’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program either by phone, on line, by regular mail or by fax.

This recall is being conducted with the knowledge of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

You can now follow the FDA on Facebook and Twitter. Get immediate, up-to-date notices about product recalls and other important notifications.

We are MedWaste Management – California’s medical waste disposal experts!

Established in 2008, MedWaste Management brings great benefit to the healthcare industry and the general public alike. We publish this blog to to spread useful and practical information to help people stay safe, smart and healthy!

Call us with any questions or to start service at (866) 254-5105. We are always happy to speak!

Check out our services and other great resources in the links below.

Medical Waste Disposal Services 

MedWaste’s Blog Index

Medical Waste Regulations

MedWaste’s Product Store 

Home Generated Medical Waste Drop-Off Points In California

 

 

 

 

 

More Drug Drop-Off Boxes Are Now Available in Police Stations.

Last week, a MedSafe Drug Drop-off box became available in Liberal, Kansas.

A ribbon cutting ceremony hosted by the Liberal Chamber of Commerce took place for the MedSafe box, and officials with the Liberal Area Coalition for Families, including director Sarah Foreman, were on hand for the presentation.

The box came at the heels of a purchase of a Elastec Drug Terminator Incinerator. The purchase was made possible with a donation from Southern Pioneer Electric’s Helping Us Give to Society (HUGS) program.

The $1,500 HUGS donation was matched by CoBank, making a total of $3,000 towards the LPD’s equipment.

Annually, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has its National Prescription Drug Take Back Initiative. The Liberal Police Department takes part in this.

Now, with the additon of the MedSafe box, people can dispose of their unwanted medication whenever it’s convenient for them. It’s available for drop-off Monday through Friday, from 8 to 5.

The MedSafe box is in the lobby. There is no need to check in with anyone. You just walk in to the station, throw in your medication, and leave.

After the medications are dropped in the MedSafe container, a minimum of two employees remove the medication and take it to the new incinerator. The medication is incinerated on the same day.

The Vermont State Police is also joining the ranks of departments that have a secure disposal box available year-round, all week. 

Six of the 10 VSP barracks already have been outfitted with drop boxes. There are more coming.

It’s  just another way for locals to clean out the poison from their medicine cabinets, said Public Safety Comissioner Anderson.

Police stations and State Police barracks across Erie County now have drug take-back boxes.

People in Erie can also  safely deposit expired or unwanted prescription and over-the-counter medication at Erie Police Stations now.

An interactive map that shows where the boxes are located can be found here.

It was created by the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs and includes more than a dozen sites in Erie County and nearly 700 statewide.

At the ribbon cutting ceremony in Liberal, Kansas,  Liberal Area Coalition for Families Director Sarah Foreman spoke about the goals and expectations for the MedSafe box the Station installed.

She said a large problem, at least among young people, is taking prescription medicines from their parents’ medicine cabinets to parties. This creates a danger close in nature to taking illegal drugs. Maybe more dangerous, since the pills are mixed and may be funky due to the expired ingredients.

While having a disposal box doesn’t empirically curb the behavior, she hopes that reducing drug use among teenagers would be one result of installing the drop box.

“I think the goal of any MedSafe disposal is to get either prescribed drugs off the streets, out of the wrong hands, and expired medication also not in the water system, not on the streets, not in dumpsters, but safely disposed of and then incinerated,” she said.

Other dangers of expired and unused medication would be for small children, as well as elderly who may be confused about which type of medication is safe.

Often people don’t know what to do with the expired medications, or don’t get to the drop off locations at drug takeback events, so having a permanent box that is open all week is a great option for disposing of expired or unused medications.

The DEA and Google both provide locators to find your nearest prescription drug take back locations.

Check out The DEA and Google pages below. They contain tools and more info on the ever growing efforts to help people properly dispose of their unused prescription drugs. This is certainly part of the bigger plan to help end the opioid crisis.

DEA’s Prescription Drug Take Back Location Tool

Google’s Prescription Drug Take Back Location Tool

We are MedWaste Management – California’s medical waste disposal experts!

Established in 2008, MedWaste Management brings great benefit to the healthcare industry and the general public alike. We publish this blog to to spread useful and practical information to help people stay safe, smart and healthy!

Call us with any questions or to start service at (866) 254-5105. We are always happy to speak!

Check out our services and other great resources in the links below.

Medical Waste Disposal Services 

MedWaste’s Blog Index

Medical Waste Regulations

MedWaste’s Product Store 

Home Generated Medical Waste Drop-Off Points In California

 

Quick Overview of the Opioid Crisis

On October 26, 2017, President Trump announced that his Administration was declaring the opioid crisis a national Public Health Emergency under federal law, effective immediately. “I am directing all executive agencies to use every appropriate emergency authority to fight the opioid crisis,” the President said.

Declaring the Opioid Crisis a national Public Health Emergency legally authorizes federal, state, tribal, and local authorities to allocate existing personnel and resources toward opioid prevention efforts.

It also waives some key legal inhibitions, ramps up critical public health surveillance, and facilitates greater coordination across federal agencies. Mainly, these agencies and authorities are focusing on the developing the following three solutions:

Money.

 Innovation costs money. All the organizations and government, pharma, and medicine that are working to stem the flow of the opioid crisis need money to put their ideas into practice, so directing funds to all the people working to solve the opioid crisis is going to be a primary concern. Where exactly is the money going to be spent? Each agency has their own list of needs.

Some of the money is to be used for creating more access to addiction treatments, as many patients with opioid addictions simply cannot afford the detox and addiction treatments currently available.     

Another costly way to reduce opioid death is furnishing emergency personnel with naloxone, which is the primary treatment for opioid overdose. Naloxone is costly. The government can force Pharma to slash prices. We’re still working on that- it hasn’t happened yet.

Regulation-.

First of all, going after the bad guys who are importing opioids in an unregulated manner. To this end,  Trump signed the INTERDICT Act in January, 2018. This law directs the Department of Homeland Security to provide additional tools and resources to detect and intercept the supply of illicit fentanyl.

Trump spoke about handing out the Death Penalty to drug dealers.

He also is still emphatic about strengthening the wall between the U.S. and Mexico, which supplies a lot of the US’s illicit drugs.       

Regulation also includes the FDA’s efforts to create better guidelines, reporting systems, and a way to regulate the prescribed opioids in the U.S. Patients requiring certain medications containing opioids are already having a more difficult time getting their prescription refilled, and they are not happy. They are forming groups and creating petitions for medical opioids that will not interfere or limit the patient’s medical treatments.

Education.

 Many addictions start without the knowledge of the person developing the addiction, or without the knowledge of people around them that could have prevented or assisted with the addiction. Explaining the effects of drugs to teenagers is always appropriate.

Giving patients good information about their prescribed medication, and creating a list of alternative ways to treat, control and handle pain is another way to reduce opioid addiction numbers.

Proper disposal of opioids is a very big step toward decreasing the numbers of opioid addiction and death, and it is something everyone can do.

Follow us for more information on the latest innovations, solutions, and news about the opioid crisis.

The DEA and Google both provide locators to find your nearest prescription drug take back locations.

Check out The DEA and Google pages below. They contain tools and more info on the ever growing efforts to help people properly dispose of their unused prescription drugs. This is certainly part of the bigger plan to help end the opioid crisis.

DEA’s Prescription Drug Take Back Location Tool

Google’s Prescription Drug Take Back Location Tool

We are MedWaste Management – California’s medical waste disposal experts!

Established in 2008, MedWaste Management brings great benefit to the healthcare industry and the general public alike. We publish this blog to to spread useful and practical information to help people stay safe, smart and healthy!

Call us with any questions or to start service at (866) 254-5105. We are always happy to speak!

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State Department will Crack Down on Opioid Import

Much of the efforts to fight the opioid crisis are directed to provide resources, support and education for opioid users or demographics at risk for becoming users (like teenagers.) The Department of State is putting in the effort to address one of the core issues of the opioid epidemic.

A critical piece to stopping opioid abuse is preventing illicit opioids from being available in the first place.

As prescribing opioids becomes a more discerning process, opioid addicts may first turn to alternate sources for the drug before seeking treatment for the addiciton itself. The U.S. Department of State is aiming to stop illicit opioids that are produced overseas from being trafficked into America.

The number of overdose cases that involved synthetic opioids (mostly fentanyl) increased by nearly 640% between 2012 and 2016. In 2016 alone, over 42,000 Americans overdosed on synthetic opioids.

Two milligrams of fentanyl can potentially be lethal.

Most of the fentanyl in the US is sourced from overseas, mostly from China. The majority of heroin in the US comes from Mexico.

These drugs enter the US in a variety of ways and routes. Some are crossing the border overland. Some are shipped in through online orders, slipping through the mail system.

 The State Departments’s INL Bureau is leading U.S. efforts to partner with foreign governments in an effort to reduce illicit drugs and precursor chemicals for cooking the drugs from entering the US.

The INL Bureau is developing a strategy to disrupt the synthetic drug supply chain, in all its new and improved forms, which currently pose a challenge to traditional counternarcotics approaches.

There are new trends in the way the drugs are moved that fostered an increase in heroin use. There have also been many instances of heroin (the natural opioid) being laced with synthetic opioids (like fentanyl), without the user’s knowledge. Fentanyl and other forms of synthetic opioids can be fifty to one hundred times stronger than heroin.

There has to be a new plan that can handle drugs that are produced in secret labs, then bought and sold online, maybe with bitcoin or other virtual currencies that can’t be traced in a traditional manner. Drugs are shipped globally directly to the buyer in small packages that are hard to track and hard to detect. What used to be a drug-trafficking network has turned frequently into a  micro-trafficking network.

The INL Bureau is creating a number of new initiatives to keep up with the dynamic opioid threat in a better fashion. These include:

*Expanding the capacity to globally share and pick up advance electronic data about international mail parcels headed for the United States.

*More support for early warning and global information sharing systems

*Expanding technical assistance for the fine people who develop new ways to detect illicit substances and are working on forensics and cyber investigation

*Spreading education and U.S. expertise with foreign jurisdictions regarding the prevention, treatment ,and recovery programs for drug users.

This will help decrease the demand for the drugs in foreign jurisdictions as well.

Everyone is going to have to work together to meet the challenges posed by the entry of illicit opioids into the United States, including foreign governments, law enforcement agencies, and even the private sector. The State Department is working on advancing cooperation so that the flow of opioids can be stemmed and more lives can be saved.

We are MedWaste Management – California’s medical waste disposal experts!

Established in 2008, MedWaste Management brings great benefit to the healthcare industry and the general public alike. We publish this blog to to spread useful and practical information to help people stay safe, smart and healthy!

Call us with any questions or to start service at (866) 254-5105. We are always happy to speak!

Check out our services and other great resources in the links below.

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Use the Deterra Pouch to Safely Dispose of Opioids.

The Deterra Drug Deactivation System is a simple, convenient, and cost-effective way to dispose of unused or expired drugs at home.

At-home drug disposal with the patented Deterra® Drug Deactivation System is the simplest and most effective way to keep drugs out of our lakes, rivers streams and drinking water.

It’s also a cost-effective and simple way to keep drugs away from children and other household members.

Every day, 2,500 kids begin abusing a prescription medication. One-third of people aged 12 and over began using drugs for the first time by using a prescription drug for non-medical purposes.

The patented Deterra® System is powered by proprietary MAT12® Molecular Adsorption Technology.

In a scientifically proven, simple 3-step process, the Deterra pouch can render drugs inert, preventing their misuse.

As a bonus, the Deterra patented technology protects the environment from the effects of non-inert drugs that can still have active compounds that leech into the ground or water.

It’s a simple pouch. Each patented Deterra pouch contains a water-soluble inner pod that contains a unique form of activated carbon Activated Carbon has been found to effectively bind to a wide variety of drugs and poisons with a few notable exceptions (e.g. iron, lithium, and potassium).

You put the unwanted pills, liquids or patches in the pouch and add warm water, which dissolves the inner pod and releases the activated carbon.

The pills, patches, or liquids are absorbed by the carbon. You seal the pouch and throw it into your regular household garbage can. The pills, liquids or patches are inert and non-retrievable.

The Deterra pouch is made of environmentally sound materials. The plastic pouch and zipper will degrade through the use of organic additives that will be consumed in landfills by microbes typically found there. The end result will be a release of water and carbon dioxide into the environment. There will be very little organic biomass left behind.

The Deterra pouch will deactivate any organic medications including opioids.

However, it will not adsorb metals such as Iron or lithium, which are contained in a small number of medications.

If your medication has specific disposal instructions, please follow the directions as given.

Deterra is available in multiple sizes and recommended capacity is listed on each pouch or container.

Frequently Asked Questions about Deterra Pouches.

A product demonstration is available on Youtube. Deterra also has a facebook page for updates and helpful articles about their products.

You can purchase Deterra Drug Deactivation System pouches on Amazon.

Drug distributor AmerisourceBergen‘s runs a charity that gives resources for drug disposal  to communitie sthat apply for them. The products they donate include DisposeRx packets and Deterra bags. So far, the foundation has donated 55,000 of these products.

Pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts started sending Deterra Pouches to members who have opioid prescriptions so they can discard any leftovers.

We will probably be seeing more innovative solutions for the opioid crisis in the near future and will continue to report as new information comes up.

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We are MedWaste Management – California’s medical waste disposal experts!

Established in 2008, MedWaste Management brings great benefit to the healthcare industry and the general public alike. We publish this blog to to spread useful and practical information to help people stay safe, smart and healthy!

Call us with any questions or to start service at (866) 254-5105. We are always happy to speak!

Check out our services and other great resources in the links below.

Medical Waste Disposal Services 

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Medical Waste Regulations

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Home Generated Medical Waste Drop-Off Points In California

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Walgreens and CVS Install Drug Take Back Kiosks.

The United States is in the middle of an opioid epidemic.

Every day, 134 people die of opiate-related overdoses.

So many people are overdosing from heroin and synthetic opioids that the U.S. life expectancy shortened two years in a row. In the first advisory form a Surgeon General since 2005, the Surgeon General urges more people to carry naloxone, an opioid antidote.

The Federal government’s research shows that a large driver of the epidemic is perscription drug abuse. The majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from friends and family, often coming straight out of the medicine cabinet.

Proper disposal of unused or expired prescription drugs is an effective way to improve the opioid crisis.

Some people are not able to get to the DEA’s drug take back locations.

CVS and Walgreens are implementing another way to help customers dispose of their leftover prescription drugs.

Up until 2014, pharmacies weren’t allowed to take back prescriptions. People could only dispose of drugs in police departments- and for obvious reasons, not everyone was comfortable with that.

In 2014, the Drug Enforcement Administration issued new regulations due to the growing opioid problem that expanded the ways to safely return and dispose of prescription drugs.

In 2016, Walgreens began adding drug disposal kiosks in its chain stores.

Walgreens now has 600 drug disposal kiosks and has collected more than 270 tons of medications so far. It is partnering with AmerisourceBergen, the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, Pfizer and Prime Therapeutics to add kiosks to another 900 locations.

The kiosks for drug returns and disposal look kind of like a mail box.

Consumers simply drop the unwanted medication into the slot and the drugs get picked up by a medical waste company as the kiosk fills up.

Rick Gates, Walgreens‘ senior vice president of pharmacy operations, who was involved in the kiosk idea since its inception, says that initially the medical waste company planned on emptying the kiosks once a month, but they were filling up so quickly they had to clear them once a week or once every other week.

CVS Health is in the process of installing 750 kiosks in various chain stores. It’s already donated more than 800 units to police departments.

So far, CVS has collected nearly 158 metric tons of medications from drug take back kiosks.

It sounds simple to install a kiosk, but complying with drug disposal regulations is complicated. Each unit takes time and planning to make sure it is up to regulation standard. Some of the requirements are that the kiosk be bolted to the floor (so nobody can just make off with it). The kiosk has to be locked at all times to prevent abuse of the drugs dropped off in it, and the medical waste disposal company has to be up to the DEA’s protocols as well.

Drug disposal kiosks in pharmacies are not yet available everywhere.

There are other companies working on other options for Household Waste Disposal, besides for the good work being done by the Walgreen’s, CVS, the DEA’s National perscription drug take back day and police stations and fire houses. For example, Google put out a locator tool for drug take back locations that works by zip code. We will keep reporting about various household waste disposal options that will be offered by Walgreens, CVS, and other companies all working hard to come up with practical solutions for consumers.

We will continue to add updates about the opioid crisis and new solutions. It is time that we all did our little part to help save lives and reduce opioid addiction.

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We are MedWaste Management – California’s medical waste disposal experts!

Established in 2008, MedWaste Management brings great benefit to the healthcare industry and the general public alike. We publish this blog to to spread useful and practical information to help people stay safe, smart and healthy!

Call us with any questions or to start service at (866) 254-5105. We are always happy to speak!

Check out our services and other great resources in the links below.

Medical Waste Disposal Services 

MedWaste’s Blog Index

Medical Waste Regulations

MedWaste’s Product Store 

Home Generated Medical Waste Drop-Off Points In California