Walgreens adds safe medicine disposal kiosks to pharmacies

Business Wire

DEERFIELD - In the first national effort of its kind by a retailer, Walgreens has installed safe medication disposal kiosks at 288 pharmacies across 21 states and Washington D.C.

Walgreens is now more than halfway toward its goal, announced in February, of installing medication disposal kiosks at 500 locations around the country.

The kiosks provide a safe and convenient way to dispose of unwanted, unused or expired prescriptions, including controlled substances, and over-the-counter medications at no cost. As part of Walgreens drug take-back program, the kiosks make the disposal of medications easier and are available year-round to help reduce the misuse of medications and the rise in overdose deaths.

"Walgreens has taken an important first step to curb the misuse of medications throughout the country and continues to make progress in offering easy and convenient medication disposal," said Richard Ashworth, Walgreens president of pharmacy and retail operations. "Everyone has a role to play in minimizing prescription drug abuse, and we are committed to being part of a comprehensive solution to reverse this epidemic."

The kiosks at Walgreens pharmacies are available during regular pharmacy hours (24 hours a day at most kiosk locations) and offer one of the best ways to ensure medications are not accidentally used or intentionally misused by someone else.

Walgreens is also helping to curb the rise in opioid overdose deaths by making naloxone, a lifesaving opioid antidote, available without requiring a prescription in more than 2,600 pharmacies across 14 states. On Aug. 1, Walgreens will begin offering naloxone without requiring a prescription in North Carolina and Wisconsin as the company continues toward its goal of offering naloxone without a prescription at more than 7,000 of its nearly 8,200 pharmacies. In states where a prescription is required, Walgreens is available and eager to work with regulators to help update rules to allow for dispensing of naloxone without a prescription.

Naloxone can be used in the event of an overdose to reverse the effects of heroin or other opioid drugs, and is administered by injection or nasal spray.