Teleosis Institute to form coalition for pharmaceutical waste, disposal control

BERKELEY, Calif, A nonprofit organization wants the San Francisco Bay Area to not generate pharmaceutical waste.

The Teleosis Institute, a program of the organization Practice Greenhealth, announced Monday that it was forming a coalition of pharmacists, physicians, nurses, dentists, veterinarians and other healthcare providers to gain control of pharmaceutical waste and disposal.

“Our initiative is unique in that it catalyzes key stakeholders – the institutions that handle and dispense pharmaceuticals directly to patients and consumers – in an effort to broaden the reach of existing pharmaceutical stewardship,” Teleosis Institute senior director Joel Kreisberg said. “The San Francisco Bay Area Green Pharmacy Coalition is essentially a product stewardship program with the goal of including all players in eliminating the pollution caused by the improper disposal of unused pharmaceuticals.”

In March, the Associated Press reported that pharmaceuticals have been found in the drinking water of at least 41 million people in the United States. A number of retail pharmacy chains have started safe medication disposal initiatives to prevent pharmaceutical contamination of drinking water and diversion of medications by drug abusers.