DisposeRx inks agreement with VA to offer at-home drug disposal
Drug disposal company DisposeRx has announced that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs will offer its drug disposal solution for at-home use by veterans.
The product offering through the VA comes via an agreement that DisposeRx reached with Government Marketing and Procurement, a contract management firm that holds a Federal Supply Schedule 65IIA Medical Equipment & Supplies Contract to sell products and services to government customers.
Veterans experience high rates of chronic pain, 65% of veterans over a three-month period, and 40% greater in veterans than non-veterans, a significant number of them receive prescriptions for opioids, and many could benefit from a safe, at-home disposal option for leftover medications. Keeping leftover medications in the home can increase the risk of accidental poisonings as well as diversion, which can lead to addiction, overdoses and death.
"DisposeRx is proud to partner with GMP and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to help soldiers and their families to give them access to a simple solution for disposing of their medications after they are no longer needed,” said John Holaday, DisposeRx chairman and CEO, who also is a veteran. “Due to high rates of opioid prescriptions, veterans are a patient population that is uniquely vulnerable to misuse of leftover medications. After obtaining our eco-friendly solution, veterans will have an easy-to-use, convenient option for drug disposal, reducing the likelihood of misuse and addiction.”
According to the VA, veterans experience fatal accidental overdoses at nearly twice the rate of the general population of adults. About 68,000 veterans had opioid use disorder in 2015, a threefold increase over the prior 12 years, according to the Pew Charitable Trusts. A study published in 2018 in the Journal of General Internal Medicine found that 16.1% of veterans who obtained outpatient prescriptions from 2010 to 2016 received them for opioid products such as hydrocodone, oxycodone and fentanyl.
“We are committed to the veteran population and the military, and we’re very happy that we are now offering another tool through the VA and GMP’s contract to help combat opioid misuse in this group,” Holaday said. “They’ve served our country, and we’re honored to help them in return."
The product offering through the VA comes via an agreement that DisposeRx reached with Government Marketing and Procurement, a contract management firm that holds a Federal Supply Schedule 65IIA Medical Equipment & Supplies Contract to sell products and services to government customers.
Veterans experience high rates of chronic pain, 65% of veterans over a three-month period, and 40% greater in veterans than non-veterans, a significant number of them receive prescriptions for opioids, and many could benefit from a safe, at-home disposal option for leftover medications. Keeping leftover medications in the home can increase the risk of accidental poisonings as well as diversion, which can lead to addiction, overdoses and death.
"DisposeRx is proud to partner with GMP and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to help soldiers and their families to give them access to a simple solution for disposing of their medications after they are no longer needed,” said John Holaday, DisposeRx chairman and CEO, who also is a veteran. “Due to high rates of opioid prescriptions, veterans are a patient population that is uniquely vulnerable to misuse of leftover medications. After obtaining our eco-friendly solution, veterans will have an easy-to-use, convenient option for drug disposal, reducing the likelihood of misuse and addiction.”
According to the VA, veterans experience fatal accidental overdoses at nearly twice the rate of the general population of adults. About 68,000 veterans had opioid use disorder in 2015, a threefold increase over the prior 12 years, according to the Pew Charitable Trusts. A study published in 2018 in the Journal of General Internal Medicine found that 16.1% of veterans who obtained outpatient prescriptions from 2010 to 2016 received them for opioid products such as hydrocodone, oxycodone and fentanyl.
“We are committed to the veteran population and the military, and we’re very happy that we are now offering another tool through the VA and GMP’s contract to help combat opioid misuse in this group,” Holaday said. “They’ve served our country, and we’re honored to help them in return."