States 'recycle' meds to battle costs

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States 'recycle' meds to battle costs

By CANDICE CHOI, AP Business Writer

Sun Apr 6, 4:12 PM ET

NEW YORK - The struggle to keep soaring medical costs in check is

feeding an increase in state programs that collect unused prescription

drugs to give away to the uninsured and poor.

Some

states allow donations of sealed drugs from individuals, while others

only accept pharmaceuticals from institutions, such as doctor's offices

or assisted-living homes. Drugs are typically vetted by pharmacists to

cross-check safety, then distributed by hospitals, pharmacies or

charitable clinics.

The type of drugs donated run the gamut and include antibiotics, antipsychotics, blood thinners and antidepressants.

At least 33 states have laws to allow or study drug recycling programs, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Most state programs are just a few years old or still in the test stages, but officials envision huge gains.

In Iowa,

Fries, CEO of the Iowa Prescription Drug Corp., said the program

has the potential to double or triple in the near future. Officials in Tulsa, Okla., also see plenty of room for growth.

"There are millions of dollars of unused meds out there that have

not been captured," said ston, director of social services

for Tulsa County.

Regulations to ensure safety vary from state to state, but the basic concept is the same.

"These are medications that would've otherwise been destroyed," said Roxanne Homar, Wyoming's state pharmacist.

A pilot program in Cheyenne, Wyo., last year netted $81,000 in

donated drugs to fill 557 prescriptions. State officials say that's

just a small slice of the vast reserves of drugs that go to waste each

year. The program is now working to get $180,000 in drugs it has online

so it can be accessed by other programs in the state.

Drug recycling programs pay for themselves "by just working with one

patient and saving them and keeping them out of the hospital over the

long term," Iowa's Fries said.

Ensuring that a diabetic doesn't miss her medication, for example,

might stave off "eye problems, foot problems, all kinds of medical

conditions," he said.

It's still too early to measure the impact of drug recycling in

offsetting the costs of emergency room and other hospital care for the

uninsured. But when medical conditions go untreated, the financial toll

is clear.

A study by the Commonwealth Fund in 2006 found 59 percent of

uninsured people with chronic conditions either skipped a dose of their

medicine or went without it because it was too expensive. One-third of

that group visited an emergency room or stayed in a hospital overnight

or did both, compared with 15 percent of their insured counterparts.

The costs to treat uninsured patients in Wyoming alone are

staggering. Every year, hospitals there provide about $120 million in

uncompensated care, according to Susie , executive director for

the Wyoming Health Care Commission.

There are between 80,000 and 90,000 uninsured in Wyoming, and their

options for medical care are "generally limited to emergency room

situations," said.

In Iowa, hospitals in 2005 provided $465 million in uncompensated care, according to the state's hospital association.

Meanwhile, between March and December of last year, Iowa's drug

recycling program collected 319,000 dosage units worth an estimated

$292,000.

In the face of such enormous costs, saving a few dollars by using

recycled drugs may seem futile. But the savings that could be achieved

would add up over time.

In Louisiana last year, one charitable pharmacy in Baton Rouge

filled more than 38,000 prescriptions worth $2 million, the vast

majority of which were donated medications. Officials say they don't

track how many people the state's recycled drug program has helped

statewide.

"In health care reform, it's got to be a cumulative effect of a

lot of different efforts. It seems like throwing a 10-foot rope down a

40-foot hole, but we have to begin somewhere," said.

Officials in Oklahoma's Tulsa County agree; they've worked with charities since 2004 in a program to fill the prescriptions of county residents.

"We do know that the cost of not providing medications has a

large ripple effect and impact on our community whether it's going to

the emergency room, whether it's going to a nursing home early, dying

early, missing school. If we don't get medicines to people who need

them for their mental illnesses, they become homeless, they end up in

jail," said.

Still, some states are having trouble getting their drug recycling programs off the ground.

In Florida,

for example, a program created two years ago to get cancer drugs to the

uninsured has languished. Only three of the 300 hospitals eligible to

participate have signed up, taking in a total of seven drug donations.

Critics say the program has lacked publicity.

And since drug recycling programs rely on donations, they're

not seen as long-term solutions. But when successful, officials say

they can help plug gaps in medication for those who live paycheck to

paycheck.

___

AP Business Writer Drew in New York and Associated Press Writer Gresko in Tallahassee contributed to this Report Sharonhttp://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/MSersHEALTH/This email is a natural hand made product. The slight variations in spelling and grammar enhance its individual character and beauty and in no way are to be considered flaws or defects.

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