E-DRUG: Guidelines for Drug Disposal: Request
for comments on first draft
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Dear e-drugger,
The WHO Action Programme on Essential Drugs (DAP) is co-ordinating a
process to establish a consensus on guidelines for disposal of
unwanted drugs. The original draft was written for the WHO Office for
Humanitarian Assistance in Bosnia Herzegovina to assist the local
authorities dispose of an estimated 800 metric tonnes of unwanted
drugs stockpiled throughout the country. The WHO European Centre for
Environment and Health, Nancy Office, France, the WHO Regional Office
for Europe, Copenhagen and Pharmaciens sans Frontires have all
contributed to the guidelines which were subsequently lightly edited
for a wider audience.
The guidelines are intended for middle and low income countries or
for use in the aftermath of major man-made and natural disasters when
a proportion of donated drugs are found to be unhelpful (the second
disaster). It is hoped that the advice will assist officials
responsible for pharmaceuticals in a ministry of health, in the drug
regulatory authority, regional health authorities, and directors of
health facilities when faced with the problem of disposal of unwanted
and out of date drugs.
All comments and assistance would be greatly appreciated. Currently
technical comments have been invited from a wide group of
international experts and further observations and help is welcome.
The text is available on the WHO/DAP website at
http://www.who.ch/programmes/dap/DAP_Homepage.html
For hardcopy or an e-mail attachment please contact me at the address
below. In your request please state whether you would prefer hard copy
or an e-mail attachment. The document consists of 22 pages of which
one page, containing a flow chart for the sorting process, cannot be
The closing date for comments is mid January 1998.
Please send replies directly to:
Dr Robin Gray
WHO Action Programme on Essential Drugs
20 Avenue Appia
CH-1211 Geneva
Switzerland
fax: (41) 22 791 4167
e-mail: grayr@who.ch
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