Expired, unwanted or unused prescriptions can often be found in medicine cabinets in homes across the U.S. To decrease the chances that these medicines are misused, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that they are removed from the home as quickly as possible – preferably through a drug take-back event or permanent disposal location.Disposal of Unused Medicines: What You Should Know. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/resourcesforyou/consumers/buyingusingmedicinesafely/ensuringsafeuseofmedicine/safedisposalofmedicines/ucm186187.htm
As part of our enterprise-wide strategy to prevent opioid abuse, CVS Health is committed to expanding access to permanent medication disposal options in communities nationwide. Every day, consumers can dispose of unused or unwanted medicines at CVS Pharmacy stores and community locations across the country
Driving Awareness through Disposal Partnerships
At CVS Health, we believe that increasing public awareness of disposal locations can have a meaningful impact in helping to prevent the abuse of prescription drugs found in the home. That’s why we’re proud to partner with Google Maps to make it easier for consumers to find year-round medication disposal options.
Through a pilot effort, consumers can quickly search “drug drop off near me” in Google to locate permanent disposal locations in their community, such as a CVS Pharmacy or government buildings. This new search functionality will help build on the momentum of National Prescription Drug Take Back Day events hosted by the U.S. Drug and Enforcement Administration (DEA), providing an efficient way to identify permanent locations. Currently, the DEA and Google Maps are working to expand the pilot through additional location data.
Our new partnership with Google Maps expands our existing collaborations to help ensure that consumers know how to conveniently locate safe and reliable disposal locations.
Beyond the more than 900 safe medication disposal units installed at CVS Pharmacy locations nationwide, we have also donated more than 900 additional units to community locations, such as police departments.
Biannually, CVS Pharmacy locations join other community sites around the country to host law enforcement take-back events in observance of the DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day
Improving Access to Safe, Reliable Disposal Units
Safe disposal is an important element in combatting drug abuse nationwide. To date, our disposal units have collected more than 305 metric tons, or 675,000 pounds, of unwanted medication. And as part of our ongoing commitment to protecting the communities that we serve, we recently committed to placing an additional 1,100 disposal units in CVS Pharmacy locations and local police departments by the end of 2019.
For more information about our efforts in the fight against opioid abuse, visit Our Commitment to Fight Opioid Abuse and the CVS Health Impact Dashboard. To stay informed about the latest updates and innovations from CVS Health, register for content alerts and our bi-weekly health care newsletter.