Advil makers encourage safe medication disposal

MADISON, N.J. Pfizer Consumer Healthcare on Monday launched a consumer campaign encouraging Americans to clean out their medicine cabinets and properly dispose of unwanted, expired and recalled products.

Pfizer also is partnering with Suzy Cohen, author of “The 24-Hour Pharmacist,” to offer essential tips on medicine cabinet safety. “This campaign encourages people to take a few simple steps to help ensure the safety of everyone in their household,” Cohen said. “We all need to declutter and clean out our medicine cabinets.”

Arecent poll found that nearly half of Americans do not always look at the expiration date on over-the-counter medications before taking them, Pfizer noted. And to encourage consumers to do exactly that, Pfizer is providing a coupon for a free bottle of Advil to the first 500,000 eligible people who register.

Pfizer also is encouraging consumers to properly dispose of medicines, suggesting that when disposing of unwanted, expired or recalled products in the medicine cabinet, consumers should take precautions to ensure they protect children, pets and the environment from potentially negative effects. For example, no medicine should be disposed of by pouring into a sink, toilet or storm drain. The campaign directs consumers to consult their pharmacists on proper disposal practices, or to visit FDA.gov and search for “disposal.”

For consumers who wish to register for one of the 500,000 free bottles of Advil, Pfizer has established the website MedicineCabinetSafety.com.