Patients who use respiratory inhalers will be able to recycle the devices for the first time in the U.S., according to British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline PLC, which is launching its “Complete the Cycle” program Wednesday in drugstores in 31 cities.
GlaxoSmithKline is the top seller of respiratory medicines in the U.S., with brands including the blockbuster Advair, but its new program will also recycle inhalers made by competitors. The program, starting in cities from Anchorage, Alaska, to Atlanta, will enable patients to drop off inhalers in boxes at participating pharmacies. When bags inside the boxes are full, they’ll be shipped to a Glaxo recycling contractor.
“We expect to bring back at least 100,000 inhalers in the 31 markets” in the first year, Jorge Bartolome, Glaxo’s senior vice president for its respiratory business, told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview.
The company will then decide deciding where to expand the program in the U.S. and internationally. It’s already running in the United Kingdom and a pilot program has begun in Chile.
Source: The Seattle Times
via Associated Press