Texas' Safe Drug Disposal Law in Effect January 1, DisposeRx Helps Pharmacists and Pharmacies Respond

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Dec 04, 2019, 13:23 ET

SANFORD, N.C., Dec. 4, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- DisposeRx—through its vast network of more than 2,000 pharmacies in Texas—is working to help pharmacists and pharmacies ensure compliance of HB 2088 through the availability of its safe, at-home disposal packets and patient education.

In July, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed into law HB 2088, which requires that all pharmacists who dispense Schedule II controlled substances provide written notice on the safe disposal of controlled substances unless the dispensing pharmacy is authorized to take back those drugs for disposal, regularly accepts those drugs for safe disposal or provides the patient—at no cost—"chemicals to render the unused drugs unusable" or a mail-in pouch. This law goes into effect on January 1, 2020.

"Texas legislators understand that leftover medications pose a risk to their communities," said William Simpson, DisposeRx President. "We applaud their efforts to address those risks and eradicate unused prescriptions—the same commitment we see from our retail pharmacy customers. We are in the infancy of educating patients about medication management and proper disposal, and it will take a consistent and collaborative effort to change behavior."

DisposeRx packets are currently available in pharmacies throughout Texas including Albertson's, H-E-B, Kroger/Harris Teeter, Walgreen's and Walmart/Sam's Club, with more retail pharmacies being added later this year and early 2020, including Health Mart and CVS.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Texas ranked 12^th in the country in the number of opioid-related overdose deaths in 2016 with 1,375, and second in the country for total health care costs from opioid misuse at nearly $2 billion per year.

The Texas State Board of Pharmacy will be required to keep a list of locations at which controlled substance prescription drugs are accepted for safe disposal and must make that list available on the Board's website.

About DisposeRx Packets
DisposeRx packets are comprised of materials that are FDA-approved for oral medications and provide a simple, convenient and effective solution for the disposal of unused or expired medications. The active ingredient in the medication is chemically and physically isolated in a polymer gel when water and the DisposeRx powder are added to a prescription vial and shaken. Patients can use the product with pills, tablets, capsules, liquids and powders and can then throw away the vial in the household trash.

About DisposeRx, Inc.
DisposeRx, Inc., a North Carolina-based company, is dedicated to eradicating the misuse of leftover medication in order to decrease the risk of drug diversion, accidental poisonings, overdoses and death by targeting the site of the problem—the home medicine cabinet. For more information, please visit DisposeRx.com.

SOURCE DisposeRx, Inc.