A study on the quantity, type, economic value and reasons for pharmaceutical waste returned to pharmacies in Finland.

INTRODUCTION: Some medicines purchased are not used, resulting in pharmaceutical waste. Finland, among many other countries, is seeking to reduce the amount of pharmaceutical waste, but little information on this is currently available. This study aimed to evaluate the quantity, type, economic value, and reasons for returning pharmaceutical waste from households to community pharmacies in Finland. METHODS: Community pharmacies (n = 82) quantified and qualified the amount of pharmaceutical waste returned to them over three days in May 2022. The data was collected using an electronic form. The reasons for returning medicines were asked from customers who returned medicines using a paper questionnaire. The data was analyzed for frequencies and percentages. To estimate the economic value, we used the Finnish medicines prices at the end of June 2022. The annual economic value was calculated by means of a pharmacy size-weighted average. The confidence intervals were estimated using the non-parametric bootstrap method. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to examine the reliability of the results. RESULTS: In total, 5173 medicines were returned to pharmacies, of which 66 % were prescription medicines. The most common medicines group returned were medicines for nervous system (18 %), respiratory system (16 %), and alimentary tract and metabolism (12 %). The estimated annual economic value of the medicines returned was 81 million euros (CI 95 % M€61-M€103), of which the cost to society was 43 million euros (CI 95 % M€30-M€60). 799 customers responded to the questionnaire (Response rate 81.9 %). The limited shelf life of the medicine after opening (36 %), improvement of the medical condition or symptom (25 %), and the unnecessarily large pack size (22 %) were common reasons for returning. CONCLUSION: A considerable amount of pharmaceutical waste is returned to pharmacies, causing unnecessary costs to both individuals and society, indicating the need to reduce waste. The limited shelf life and large pack sizes of medicines account for a large proportion of causes for household pharmaceutical waste. Reducing pharmaceutical waste requires action from all actors in the pharmaceutical chain.

Effectiveness of inhalation technique assessment service for patients with Respimat® inhaler.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to examine how Inhalation Technique Assessment Service (ITAS) by community pharmacies affect patients' inhalation techniques when using the Respimat® soft mist inhaler. The inhaler was simultaneously updated into a reusable inhaler. The study focused on the Respimat® inhaler because its use is known to be challenging for patients. METHODS: The study was performed as a pre-post design in 33 community pharmacies (CPs) in Finland. Patients' inhalation technique was assessed before ITAS (baseline) and immediately after ITAS (follow-up 1). Follow-up 2 was performed when the patient came to the pharmacy for a refill (1-3 months after the baseline and the follow-up 1). A Respimat specific twenty item checklist was used to assess inhalation technique. The checklist included 1) preparation steps before the first use of the Respimat® inhaler (8 items) and 2) daily use steps of the Respimat® inhaler (12 items). After ITAS, the patients received a brief questionnaire to assess their asthma/COPD history. RESULTS: A total of 228 patients were enrolled at the first visit (mean age 67.8 years, 61.0% female, 85.5% had previous Respimat® use experience) and 42 of them attended the follow-up 2, 1-3 months later (mean age 70.1 years, 69.0% female, 92.9% had previous Respimat® use experience. The median number of the steps performed correctly increased from 17/20 at the baseline to all the 20 steps at the follow-up 1 (p < 0.001). At the baseline, 27.6% of the patients (n = 228) performed all preparation steps correctly, while 87.3% at the follow-up 1 and 71.4% at the follow-up 2. The percentage of the patients with acceptable inhalation technique (all critical daily use steps correct) increased from 69.7% at the baseline to 93.0% at the follow-up 1 (p < 0.001). The corresponding figure at the follow-up 2 was 69.0%. At the baseline, 30.3% of patients had optimal inhalation technique (all daily use steps correct). At the follow-up 1 corresponding figure was 85.1%, and 54.8% at the follow-up 2. CONCLUSIONS: A pharmacist-led intervention significantly improved asthma and COPD patients' inhalation technique with the Respimat® inhaler. Significant improvements were found in the daily use steps and the preparation steps before the first use.

Policy and vision for community pharmacies in Finland: A roadmap towards enhanced integration and reduced costs.

Finland's community pharmacy system provides an example of a privately-owned regulated system being proactively developed by the profession and its stakeholders. Community pharmacists have a legal duty to promote safe and rational medicine use in outpatient care. The development of professionally oriented practice has been nationally coordinated since the 1990s with the support of a national steering group consisting of professional bodies, authorities, pharmacy schools and continuing education centers. The primary focus has been in patient counseling services and public health programs. The services have extended towards prospective medication risk management applying evidence-based tools, databases and digitalization. Research has been essential in informing progress by indicating high-risk patients, medications, practices and processes needing improvement. Despite the commitment of the profession and pharmacy owners, large-scale implementation of services has been challenging because of lack of remuneration, the pharmacy income still consisting primarily of sale of prescription and nonprescription medicines. Policy documents by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health have supported the extension of the community pharmacists' role beyond traditional dispensing to promote rational pharmacotherapy. The current roadmap by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health emphasizes ensuring adequate regional availability and accessibility of medicines, regardless of the future pharmacy system. It also emphasizes the importance of strong regulation on pharmacy business operations and sale of medicines to ensure medication safety. At the same time, the roadmap requires that the regulation must enable implementation of new patient-oriented services and procedures, and further promote digitalization in service provision. Competition and balance of funding should be enhanced, e.g., through price competition, but the risk of pharmaceutical market concentration should be managed. The regulation should also consider influence of the new social and health care system on drug delivery. Year 2021 will be crucial for making long-term political decisions on the future direction of tasks and finances of Finnish community pharmacies in this framework. Government-funded studies are underway to guide decision making. Ongoing Covid-19 crisis has demonstrated the readiness of Finnish community pharmacies to adapt fast to meet the changing societal needs.