Lilly Grant to Fund 100 New Rx Disposal Sites
Lilly says more than 246
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowEli Lilly and Co. (NYSE: LLY) has given a $30,000 grant to fund 100 new prescription drug disposal sites at pharmacies across Indiana. The grant was given to Yellow Jug Old Drugs, a program that allows residents to drop off unused medications to avoid potential misuse.
Yellow Jug Old Drugs is a program under the Great Lakes Clean Water/US Clean Water organization. It currently has 29 pharmacies in Indiana under its program and the new grant will allow 100 new pharmacies to participate at no cost for up to a year.
This is the first time a pharmaceutical company in the U.S. has provided support for a prescription drug disposal program, according to Yellow Jug Old Drugs. Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller thanked Lilly for its commitment.
“This type of collaboration – among government, nonprofit, the medical community and now the pharmaceutical industry – is exactly what we need in the fight to reduce controlled substance abuse in Indiana,” said Zoeller. “Urging proper and frequent disposal of prescription medications is critical to getting old, unused drugs out of home medicine cabinets where they are ripe for abuse. We know that a majority of Rx abusers obtain the drugs from family members or friends, so getting people to dispose of these medications before they lead to abuse can have a major impact.”
The announcement of the new grant comes just one day after Zoeller released details from a study by his office’s Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention Task Force and the National Safety Council which showed employer concerns about prescription drug abuse have surpassed those of illegal drug abuse in the work place. The council says abuse of prescription drugs affects 80 percent of businesses.
Zoeller is urging any Indiana pharmacy that isn’t already operating a drug disposal program to contact Yellow Jug Old Drugs to participate and take advantage of the new grant. For a list of permanent disposal sites, click here.
