The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has issued advice for people receiving repeat prescriptions, calling for more regular reviews after analysis revealed wasted medicines could have filled 75 swimming pools last year.
Wasted Medicines Cost NHS Millions
An estimated 3,400 tonnes of partially used medicines were disposed of in England last year, with safe disposal costing the NHS over £480 million. The NPA calculated that this weight is equivalent to 560 female African Forest elephants or 3,000 2015 Ford Fiestas.
Olivier Picard, the association's chair, said: “Wasted medicines cost the NHS significant sums of money every year that could be invested in better services for patients.”
Environmental and Health Concerns
Picard added: “More than this, wasting medicines can have environmental and health consequences and we can do much more to tackle this growing problem.”
Unused or unwanted medicines returned to a pharmacy cannot be redistributed, even if unopened. They are collected by specialist waste contractors who ensure they are safely destroyed.
Calls for More Reviews
The NPA, which represents around 6,000 independent chemists in the UK, calculated the figures using data obtained from NHS Integrated Care Boards via Freedom of Information requests. It called for more regular medicine reviews for patients with several repeat prescriptions to identify medicines that are no longer needed.
More than one in 10 people aged over 65 in England are thought to take at least eight different prescribed medications each week, according to a 2019 report from Age UK.
Urging Patients to Order Only What They Need
Picard also urged patients not to order extra medicines unnecessarily. He added: “We are urging patients only to request medicines if they really need them when ordering repeat prescriptions.”
“As well as this, patients who are prescribed multiple medicines should have these more regularly reviewed to ensure they are being fully utilised.”
“If a patient has any concerns about their medicines, they should speak to their pharmacist who can help them get the most out of their medicines.”
