China Youth Daily client news (Zhongqing Daily · Zhongqing Net reporter Lin Jie) "Expired household drugs are hazardous waste, improper disposal will cause ecological and environmental pollution problems. At this year's National People's Congress, Li Chuyuan, deputy to the National People's Congress, secretary of the Party Committee and chairman of the General Pharmaceutical Group, believed that strengthening the management of expired household drugs is an important part of promoting green development and building a beautiful China. In response to solving the "stubborn disease" of household expired drug recycling, he suggested "strengthening the management of household expired drugs and legislating for the collection of expired household drugs".
Li Chuyuan, deputy to the National People's Congress. Photo courtesy of interviewee
During the new crown epidemic, people's demand for medicines has surged, and they have increased their drug preparation. Recently, "hundreds of boxes of ibuprofen thrown in the trash" appeared on the hot search, triggering public discussions on related topics such as "how harmful are expired drugs" and "how to deal with too many hoarded drugs". What should I do if the medicine I have stocked up on at home has expired?
Once a drug expires, its chemical composition, effectiveness, toxicity, etc. may change. According to the White Paper on the Recycling of Expired Drugs in Chinese Households, about 78.6% of households in mainland China have small medicine boxes, and 90.1% of respondents have the experience of discarding expired drugs at will. The Mainland Drug Administration Law has clear requirements for the production, sale and use of drugs, but there are still no specific provisions on the recycling of expired drugs, especially those from scattered households.
Expired drug recovery (profile photo). Photo courtesy of interviewee
In this regard, Li Chuyuan proposed that the recycling of expired household drugs be written into the Drug Administration Law, establish a responsible, standardized and specific process for the recovery and treatment of expired drugs, clarify the responsible subjects and standardized processes, and severely punish the illegal purchase and sale of expired drugs. At the same time, it is necessary to carry out dynamic supervision throughout the process from expired drug recovery institutions, daily management, terminal treatment, etc., further standardize the recycling and management of expired drugs, and implement administrative punishments for illegal acts such as household expired drugs being used for patients and putting them on the shelves, and if a crime is constituted, criminal responsibility shall be pursued in accordance with law.
"In addition to strengthening management from laws and regulations, it is more important to reduce the number of expired drugs in households from the source and establish a scientific and reasonable concept of drug purchase." Li Chuyuan called on consumers to prepare drugs reasonably, conduct regular inspections and properly dispose of them, and suggested reasonable regulations on the amount of drugs prescribed by public medical treatment and medical insurance to prevent waste caused by improper hoarding of drugs, which will lead to the production of a large number of expired drugs. He pointed out that a household expired drug recycling management mechanism should be built with linkage and coordination among all levels and departments, and a synergy of government guidance, enterprise guidance, social coordination, public participation, and legal guarantee should be formed.
Expired drug recovery (profile photo). Photo courtesy of interviewee
As early as 2004, GPH Group pioneered the "Household Expired Drug Recovery Mechanism". At that time, consumers hoarded Banlangen during the SARS period faced problems such as expiration, and Baiyunshan and Huang Traditional Chinese Medicine, a subsidiary of Guangzhou Pharmaceutical Group, took out products and funds to replace the expired products of various brands of Banlangen in consumers' hands for free with the latest batch number of Baiyunshan Banlangen nationwide. Subsequently, the GPH Group institutionalized, long-term and universalized the mechanism, carried out recycling in the form of authorized designated pharmacies, and replaced expired household drugs for consumers free of charge for a long time. The public welfare project has been persisting for 20 years, and now it has developed into the joint participation of all enterprises of the GPH Group, with a total of more than 1,600 tons of drugs recovered, benefiting more than 600 million people.
Over the years, GPH Group has established a "never expire" alliance with the top 100 pharmacy chains, established an online recycling mechanism with Ali Health, JD.com, etc., and set up offline recycling outlets in pharmacies, chains, hospitals, etc., with activities covering more than 200 cities across the country, forming a nationwide recycling network. Guangdong, Hubei, Guangxi, Shaanxi, Zhejiang and other drug regulatory departments have successively issued relevant documents to promote the standardized handling of expired household drugs.
Source: China Youth Daily client