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Pharmacists and experts urge govt to frame an Act for pharmaceutical waste management
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Peethaambaran Kunnathoor, Chennai
September 29 , 2017
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Need of safe disposal of pharmaceutical waste and a self-contained
protocol to manage such discarded drugs and wrappers was discussed and
deliberated upon in a seminar organized as part of the World Pharmacists
Day (WPD) at Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, on September 25.
Experts
in pharmacy, working pharmacists, drug regulators, medical
professionals and students pursuing UG and PG courses in pharmaceutical
sciences attended in the discussion.
Stressing the need of a
proper drug waste management, they felt regulations are needed to handle
and manage the pharmaceutical waste generated in manufacturing sites,
drug stores, hospitals, premises of wholesalers/distributors and in
households. The hazardous chemicals contained in the waste cause for
serious diseases and allergic reactions in human beings and animals.
Though there are regulations for the release of pharma waste into rivers
or the environment in India, more attention is needed for a proper
disposal.
All the participants, including environmentalists,
sanitation experts and health activists who shared their viewpoints felt
that the country needed a separate Act for Pharmaceutical Waste
Management like Solid Waste Management Act, Plastic Waste Management
Act, Bio-medical Waste Management Act, Hazardous Waste Management Act,
etc. They urged the union government to deliberate on the issue and plan
for research oriented studies and schemes for drug waste disposal.
The
meeting on a common platform was organized by the Kerala State Pharmacy
Council (KSPC) as part of observing WPD and the golden jubilee
celebration of the Government College of Pharmaceutical Sciences
attached to the medical college at Thiruvananthapuram.
Inaugurating
a seminar on ‘drug waste management’, J S Jayakumar, sanitation expert
at the Kerala Sanitation Mission, said there is very little reference
about pharmaceutical waste in the Environment Protection Act 1986, which
touches on the whole waste management. Since the world is going ahead
with huge consumption of medications and other pharmaceutical products, a
deliberation on how to dispose drugs waste is becoming a necessary. He
said public awareness and concern about waste and waste management came
to light after 1970, and later so many acts and rules were framed on
various segments.
Elaborating on the subject, he said the
bio-medical waste is classified into ten, and one classification is
about ‘discarded medicines’. A detailed study is required on medication
waste, its sources and a strategy has to be designed for its proper
disposal. An inventory for pharmaceutical waste is also needed to be
developed.
KSPC president B Rajan said KSPC will prepare a
self-contained protocol for safe disposal of drug waste, and submit to
the government for consideration. Pharmacy council is chalking out
schemes for the pharmacists to train them for better counseling. Sixteen
institutions in Kerala are conducting the course, Pharm D, so services
of clinical pharmacists can be used for better counseling and public
awareness on medication use and management of waste.
Member of
the Pharmacy Council of India, M K Unnikrishna Panicker, said there are
two types of pharmaceutical waste, hazardous and non-hazardous, but both
are harmful to human health and environment. The country needs special
regulations for disposal of these waste and a skilled team has to be
formed to enforce it.
P K Sreekumar, assistant drugs controller
at Thiruvananthapuram, while speaking on the subject shared his
viewpoint that India needs a rational drug use culture. Authorities must
think of a system for re-use of wrappers or a take-back policy as large
quantities of materials under the label ‘waste’ is going waste. He said
in Schedule M of the Drugs & Cosmetics Act, slight reference is
there about pharmaceutical waste management. In 2012, CDSCO issued
guidelines for recall of date expired drugs. He said it is estimated
that 25% of the diseases in human beings is due to environmental
problems.
Representing Kerala chapter of the Indian Medical
Association, Dr. Anandrajan, said 30,000 tonnes of medical wastes are
collected by Kerala IMA every month from hospitals across the state. He
said research oriented studies are needed for assessment of
pharmaceutical waste.
Public Sector Pharmacists Association (PSPA) president, K Ajayalal and member of KSPC, S Ramabhadran also spoke on the occasion.
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