WASTE MANAGEMENT THROUGH DRUG REVERSE LOGISTICS

Abstract

The pharmacist is a retail trade segment that deserves attention, since improper disposal of waste medicines by the population at the household level generates a significant environmental liability. Losers or unusable drugs are classified as wastes from healthcare services. The legislation is intended only for health facilities, and does not address the waste disposal or drugs in the general population. The reverse logistics, this type of waste is returned to the business sector for environmentally correct disposal. This study aimed to describe the framework for reverse logistics available to the consuming public in drugstores. Four drugstores located in the central region of the city of São Paulo, each belonging to large retail pharmacy chains in Brazil were investigated. The drugstores were investigated in operational, economic, institutional and educational spheres. It was found that reverse logistics is practiced medicine for three of the four major retail pharmacy chains included in this study. This practice is partial, because not always reaches the wholes drugstores networks. There is a lack of information related to reverse logistics and care with the disposal of unused and expired medications including by employees of the drugstores. There is the lack of this information including by employees of the drugstores. Upon sale of medicines guidelines on the disposal of these are not covered. The involvement of pharmaceutical companies and government agencies in the practice of reverse logistics medication is shy. This study demonstrates that the involvement of pharmaceutical companies and government agencies in the practice of reverse logistics medication is shy and enabled a reflection on the potential of the retail pharmacist in post-consumer actions as a contribution to the environmental education of the population and environmental preservation.