Deterra™ Drug Deactivation System Introduces Consumer Solution to Fighting Prescription Drug Abuse Epidemic

MINNEAPOLIS, April 6, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has classified prescription drug abuse as an epidemic. Drug use overdose death rates have more than tripled in the U.S. since 1990, and 70 percent of prescription opioid abusers obtained drugs from friends or family. These statistics make it clear that the problem starts in our own homes where leftover prescription drugs sit on shelves or in medicine cabinets, with easy access to children, adolescents and visitors. That's why from the National Rx Drug Abuse Summit in Atlanta, Verde Technologies announces its Deterra Drug Deactivation System is for the first time available directly to consumers at www.deterrasystem.com. The only scientifically proven technology to safely deactivate and dispose of leftover prescription medications, Deterra now places the power to reduce prescription drug abuse and misuse directly in the hands of parents, grandparents and communities across the country, by providing a way to safely remove unused prescription medications, including opioids, antibiotics, transdermal patches and other medications, from the home.

Previously only available through select clinics, surgery centers, pharmacies and health insurance providers, the Deterra System is now available directly to consumers as well as through its industry and community partners. Deterra utilizes patented MAT₁₂™ Molecular Adsorption Technology to deactivate unwanted, unneeded prescription drugs in pill, liquid or patch formats, rendering them ineffective for misuse and safe for the environment. The Deterra System features a pouch containing MAT₁₂, a proprietary activated carbon that bonds to pharmaceutical compounds when water is added, rendering drugs ineffective and safe for disposal quickly in any setting – home, clinic or hospital.

Deterra has a 98.1 percent success rate in deactivating prescription drugs, according to a research study supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Designed to be a cost-effective and easy-to-use drug abuse deterrent, Deterra is also environmentally friendly as it renders chemical compounds safe for landfills, providing an excellent alternative to take back incineration programs and potentially reduces watershed contamination.

"The Deterra System is the first easy-to-use, cost-effective and scientifically proven solution that's putting the ability and responsibility in the hands of everyone in the prescription drug cycle to stop wide-spread abuse by removing excess drugs from the home and other settings before they are misused," says Christine Horton, Verde Technologies chief commercial officer. "Deterra provides a universal solution to this urgent problem, now available directly to consumers as well as our partners in the pharmaceutical and health care industries who are committed to taking action and making a real difference in ending the prescription drug abuse epidemic."

The Deterra System is available at www.deterrasystem.com in several sizes for in-home use as well as larger sizes for institutional use. Deterra-SP is a single pouch design with a recommended capacity of 15 pills, 2 ounces of liquid or two transdermal patches per pouch; Deterra-MP deactivates up to 45 pills, 6 ounces of liquid or six patches; and Deterra-LP has a capacity of 90 pills, 12 ounces of liquid or 12 patches. Deterra XL is available for hospitals and clinics, providing a larger one-gallon size with a total capacity of 450 pills, 60 ounces of liquid or 60 patches. Deterra is made in the U.S.

Deterra System Study Results, Samples Available During National Rx Drug Abuse Summit

The fourth annual National Rx Drug Abuse Summit from April 6 to 9, 2015, in Atlanta, is the largest national collaboration of professionals seeking to address prescription drug abuse, misuse and diversion. With the only drug deactivation and disposal innovation participating in the summit, Verde Technologies will provide samples from its booth (29). Verde will also distribute the results of a study demonstrating that the Deterra System successfully deactivates opioid medications in commercially available abuse deterrent formulations. Opioid analgesics are subject to abuse, so pharmaceutical manufacturers are developing abuse deterrent formulations to make extraction of the active pharmaceutical into an injectable form difficult, therefore discouraging misuse and abuse. The study tested the Deterra System deactivation rate of an abuse deterrent formulation of Oxycontin (oxycodone) containing a viscosifier called polyethylene oxide (PEO), which deters tampering by dissolution. After placing Oxycontin single tablets in the Deterra System pouch with MAT₁₂ and 5 milliliters of distilled water, the abuse deterrent formulation was 99 percent deactivated via the MAT₁₂ adsorption process.

About Verde Technologies

Minneapolis-based Verde Technologies is a privately-owned company committed to developing research-based, scientifically proven solutions to reduce drug abuse and misuse. The Deterra Drug Deactivation System is powered by patented MAT₁₂ Molecular Adsorption Technology, which deactivates prescription drugs using proprietary activated carbon. The technology is highly effective in adsorbing and firmly binding pharmaceuticals, rendering them inactive and ineffective for misuse and safe for the environment. For more information, please visit www.DeterraSystem.com, follow @DeterraSystem on Twitter or like Deterra System on Facebook.

SOURCE Verde Technologies

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