Pharmacies Can Drive Medication Safety Through Drug Disposal Programs | PQA 2025
A conversation with Mitchell Barnett, PharmD, MS, professor of pharmaceutical sciences at Texas A&M University, at PQA 2025.
Drug disposal programs are an important public health service that allow for the proper disposal of controlled substances while also providing opportunities for patient education and engagement. In Iowa, a program between public health, the state pharmacy association and a pharmacy benefit manager incentivized community pharmacies to provide covered disposal products and education on medication safety in the home to patients.
By leveraging existing pharmacy infrastructure and utilizing a manufacturer coupon model similar to those seen in television drug advertisements, the model allowed pharmacists to be reimbursed for providing medication disposal education and solutions. This approach recognizes the significant role pharmacists play as the last healthcare providers in the medication management chain. It also addresses a critical gap by enabling patients to safely and environmentally dispose of medications, reducing the risks of medication misuse, accidental ingestion, and environmental contamination.
At the PQA 2025 Annual Meeting, held May 19 to 21 in Tampa, Florida, Drug Topics® sat down with Mitchell Barnett, PharmD, MS, professor of pharmaceutical sciences at Texas A&M University, to discuss the drug disposal program, what lessons can be learned from it to inform efforts in other states, what role community pharmacists play in preventing medication misuse, and how pharmacy-based disposal services can be expanded to address broader issues of medication safety and substance misuse prevention.
“Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians are really your biggest advocates for a program like this,” Barnett said. “We have all kinds of anecdotal information, and actually a study to back that up, as well. What we showed is that pharmacists really enjoyed providing the service and getting involved. They also, of course, really enjoyed getting reimbursed for providing this service. I think the primary message that I gleaned from the project was simply that pharmacists and pharmacy technicians really are your best advocates and salespeople for a program like this.”
