Background: The aim of this study was to determine the type, quantity, and cost of\nmedications being disposed of by clients in a specifically-set pharmaceutical disposal bin at a village\ncommunity pharmacy. Methods: Medicines placed in a medication disposal bin by clients were\nexamined during a nine-month period from April to December 2018. The data recorded included\nthe active ingredient, trade name, dose, dosage form, disposed quantity, and the actual expiry date\non the pack. The medications were classified according to ATC (Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical\nClassification System) code, and the cost of the amount wasted was calculated using the pharmacyâ??s\nprice list. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. Results: A total of 411 medications\nwere collected, amounting to a total cost of approximately EUR 2600. The largest group of medications\nbelonged to the alimentary group, and this also represented the group with the highest monetary value.\nThe number of months that medicinal products were retained by patients beyond the expiry date\nranged from 1 to 232. Conclusion: This small study provides a glimpse of what clients dispose of in a\nmedication bin when this is readily available in their community pharmacy, a simple measure which,\nif adopted on a national level, could aid in ensuring the appropriate disposal of wasted medication.
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