Influence of packaging material on the liquid stability of interferon-±2b

What can a pharmacist do?

Pharmacist can help to ensure that unused medications are returned to the pharmacy and dispose them appropriately through hazardous waste companies. By educating patients on proper disposal, pharmacists contribute significantly to preventing medications from entering the water supply.

By discouraging inappropriate use and overuse of prescription, nonprescription and alternative medications, pharmacists can help decrease the amount of medication that is purchased and eventually discarded, or unnecessarily ingested and excreted into our environment. For example, pharmacists may counsel patients to select single-entity cough and cold preparations that target their specific symptom(s), as opposed to multi-ingredient product that contain ingredients they do not need. With new prescription, it makes sense to limit initial prescription size and determine patient tolerability, thereby minimizing drug wastage.