Pamida participates in Iowa TakeAway Program

OMAHA, Neb. A mass merchandise chain in the Midwest will take part in a statewide drug-disposal program in Iowa.

Pamida, which operates 207 stores in the Midwest, including 142 that have pharmacies, announced that it would participate in the Iowa TakeAway Program, which the state government set up to make it easier for patients to dispose of unused medications properly rather than flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash.

Some studies have shown that the tap water of more than 40 million Americans is contaminated with improperly discarded pharmaceuticals. In response, Iowa’s state legislature passed a law that created the Iowa TakeAway Program, which the Iowa Pharmacy Association and Houston-based Sharps Compliance Corp. launched last month.

“We are very excited to partner with the Iowa TakeAway Program and are pleased to be able to offer this service to our customers,” Pamida VP pharmacy Jeff Walsh sstated. “Pamida’s participation in the Iowa TakeAway Program promotes a cleaner environment and provides our customers with an accessible and convenient method for disposal of their unused medications.”

Under the program, customers bring their unused medications – which can include oral solids or liquids and topical medications in quantities up to 4 oz. – to community pharmacies, which put them in a Sharps Compliance RxTakeAway System parcel and ship them to Sharps Compliance’s Carthage, Texas, incinerator for destruction.