Search
/ News / Hořovice Hospital Pharmacy will participate in the Breathe new life into inhalers project

Hořovice Hospital Pharmacy will participate in the Breathe new life into inhalers project

13. 8. 2013

The Hořovice Hospital Pharmacy has joined a project to return as many used inhalers as possible to pharmacies. The population of the Czech Republic consumes over 3.5 million respiratory inhalers annually, which represents more than 135 tonnes of waste. However, only a quarter of these are returned to pharmacies after use, according to a STEM/MARK survey. "Pharmaceutical packaging often ends up in the waste stream and places a burden on the environment," explains Mgr. Tomáš Veverka, Head of the Hořovice Hospital Pharmacy.


13.8.2013

Hořovice Hospital Pharmacy will participate in the Breathe new life into inhalers project
The Hořovice Hospital Pharmacy has joined a project aimed at returning as many used inhalers as possible to pharmacies. The population of the Czech Republic consumes over 3.5 million respiratory inhalers annually, which represents more than 135 tonnes of waste. However, only a quarter of these are returned to pharmacies after use, according to a STEM/MARK survey. "Pharmaceutical packaging often ends up in the waste stream and places a burden on the environment," explains Mgr. Tomáš Veverka, Head of the Hořovice Hospital Pharmacy.
The creators of the project are the pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline in cooperation with the Czech Pharmacy Chamber. Up to 2 million Czechs suffer from respiratory diseases such as asthma or COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). Respiratory inhalers help many of them to lead a normal life. However, only a quarter of patients regularly return them to pharmacies after they are used up or have expired. More than two thirds usually put them in the regular mixed waste. "We would like to change this trend," said Monika Horníková, PharmD, CEO of GlaxoSmithKline .
Due to drug residues and aerosol refills, inhaler packaging can pose a significant pollution risk to the landscape, leaving a significant carbon footprint. In the Czech Republic, this amounts to more than 19,000 tonnes of CO2 per year, which is about the same amount of emissions as driving a 1.4-litre mid-range car around the globe 2,600 times. "Taking back product packaging not only protects the environment, but also contributes to the reuse of raw materials that would otherwise end up in landfills. Inhalers are also problematic because they can contain residues of active substances," said Ing. Milan Havel from the environmental association Arnika.
The STEM/MARK survey also revealed large gaps in public awareness of the proper handling of used medicines. Most often people do not return inhalers to pharmacies because they do not know about this possibility (58%) or because they believe that inhalers do not contain harmful substances (33%). That's why we got involved in this project. Pharmacists will inform patients about the take-back options directly when they pick up their medicines. They will also be involved in monitoring the number of returned inhalers, which will take place over a period of at least six months," said Lubomír Chudoba, PharmD, President of the Czech Chamber of Pharmacy.

In the Czech Republic, pharmaceutical packaging is classified as hazardous waste. The Czech version of the project is therefore aimed at reducing the amount of unsorted waste, which also includes unreturned inhalers.
Main results of the STEM/MARK survey

  • 75% of respondents throw inhalers in the trash, 58% of them do so regularly
  • 58% of respondents dispose of inhalers in regular waste because they do not know of any other option
  • 33% of respondents think that used inhalers no longer contain environmentally harmful content
  • 81% of respondents would like to be able to recycle inhalers
  • 54% of respondents would be willing to travel up to 15km to return an inhaler to a pharmacy that provides this option

For more information on the campaign, please visit www.inhalatory.net.