Wastage of medication is a hotly debated issue that primarily relates to packages returned by patients. It is estimated that in the Netherlands alone, we throw away at least 100 million Euros’ worth of medicines every year. Besides patients, pharmacies and suppliers also regularly have to deal with leftovers and wastage.
20 pharmacists took part in a pilot conducted over the past few months. As a result of this pilot, the destruction of 68 packages was avoided; instead they were re-issued to patients. These 68 packages represent a total procurement value of Euro 54,000. With 2,000 pharmacies in the Netherlands alone, these results indicate the magnitude of the circular impact PharmaSwap can achieve if rolled out on a large scale. |