E-DRUG: Returned medicines and drug donations (18)
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Dear e-druggers,
Rather than discuss the dubious merits of donating "second-hand" drugs to poorer countries should we not be researching into why such large quantities of drugs are being returned in the first place? A high volume of returns could indicate a fundamental and serious flaw in the whole of the clinical process. Admitted there must be times when unused drugs are inevitable, e.g. the patient is deceased or their therapy has had to be changed. However, other returns are possibly due to irrational medicine use by patients, prescribers and / or pharmacists. If the causes can be resolved then perhaps the vast amount of money saved on preventing pharmaceutical waste can be apportioned to the poorer countries.
Brian Gunn
Section Head of Research
Directorate of Rational Use of Medicines
MoH
Oman
E-mail: gunnbc@hotmail.com