• 약학회지
• /
• 제58권4호
• /
• pp.262-267
• /
• 2014

Unused medication disposal is a burden due to the cost of disposing as well as the cost of the drugs. Investigating medication returns is expected to suggest areas of intervention to reduce unused medications. Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine types, quantity, costs, active pharmaceutical ingredients, and therapeutic category of the medications returned to community pharmacies. Method: From January 15, 2014 to February 28, 2014, the medications returned to the 17 community pharmacies in Gimhae, Jinju, and Incheon, Korea were examined. The pharmacists and student volunteers worked cooperatively to identify the medications and analyze drug cost of prescription pill medications returned to the pharmacies. Results: A total of 2,720 pills of prescription medication were analyzed and 91 active pharmaceutical ingredients were identified. According to the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification, the most predominant group was A (alimentary tract and metabolism) with 33.3%, followed by N (nervous system) with 15.0%. With regard to the drug cost of groups, group A was the highest with 26.6%, followed by J01 (antibacterials for systemic use) with 20.2% and N (nervous system) with 18.3%. The total cost of the oral pill prescription medications was 468,477 won. Conclusion: The result from this study implies that unused drugs impose a significant cost to the health care system in Korea. In this study, medicines used to treat gastrointestinal conditions were returned most frequently with the highest drug cost. Further research in nationwide level is necessary to establish strategies to reduce the wastage of unused medicines.

• 약학회지
• /
• 제58권2호
• /
• pp.107-111
• /
• 2014

Unused medication disposal is a problem due to the cost of disposing as well as potential risk of inadvertent dosing. Investigating medication returns is expected to suggest areas for targeting interventions to reduce medication waste. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine types of medications and identify the expiration date of the medications returned to the community pharmacies through "Drug-Take Back" program. Method: From October 10, 2012 to November 14, 2012, the medications returned to the 58 community pharmacies in Korea were examined. Results: A total of 22,160 g of pill medications were collected; 52.8% for prescription drugs and 47.2% for non-prescription drugs, respectively. The weight of the expired pill medications was more than 5 times that of the non-expired pill medications. On the other hand, 6,168 ml of liquid medications were returned; 80.0% for prescription medication and 20.0% for non-prescription medications, respectively. Of the total oral liquid medications, the volume of the expired medications was more than 5 times that of the non-expired medications. Conclusion: The majority of medications returned to the community pharmacies were prescription drugs rather than non-prescription drugs. In addition, most of the drugs were expired when they returned.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• 제50권4호
• /
• pp.484-492
• /
• 2001

연구배경 : 폐결핵의 공동성 병변은 때때로 치료과정에서 어려움을 야기하는데 특히, 재치료환자의 경우 기존의 항결핵제에 반응을 잘 보이지 않는 경향이 있다. 이에 본 저자는 본원에서 진료를 받고 있는 공동성 병변을 가진 폐결핵환자를 대상으로 공동성 병변의 경과와 이와 관련된 요인을 살펴봄으로 폐결핵 특히, 공동성 병변을 가진 환자에 대한 엄상적 접근에 대한 지침을 마련하는데 도움이 되고자 하였다. 방 법 : 2000년 8월 현재 본원에서 흉부 X-선 사진상 공동성 폐결핵으로 외래 혹은 입원치료를 받고 있거나 치료종결 후 추적관찰 중인 68명의 환자를 대상으로 환자의 의무기록, 검사소견 등을 근거로 성별 및 나이의 분포, 흉부 X-선 사진상 공동의 특성 및 경과, 본원에 내원하기 전 과거치료력, 이전 사용약제수, 내성약제수, 균음전화 시기 등을 관찰하여 공동성 병변의 경과와 이와 관련된 요인을 분석하였다. 결 과 : 대상환자들의 남녀 비는 3.9:1이였으며, 20대에서 40대 사이가 전체의 72.4%였다. 흉부 X-선 사진상 공동성 병소의 위치는 양측의 상폐야에 국한된 경우가 66.2%로 우상폐야에 36.8%, 좌상폐야에 29.4%의 소견을 보였다. 공동의 크기는 82.4%의 환지에서 40mm이하였고, 두께는 6mm이하의 경우가 83.8%였다. 적절한 화학치료를 시작한 후 최소 12개월 이상 흉부 X-선 사진상 공동의 경과를 관찰하는 중에 48례에서 공동폐쇄가 이루어졌으며, 20례에서 공동이 잔존하였다. 환자의 나이, 과거치료력, 미사용약제수, 그리고 감수성 약제수 등이 공동의 폐쇄 혹은 잔존에 영향을 미친 요인으로 분석되었다. 결 론 : 공동성 폐결핵의 치료경과 중에 환자의 나이가 45세 이상, 2회 이상의 과거치료력, 평균 6개 이하의 미사용약제, 그리고 평균 7개 이하의 감수성 약제 등이 공동의 폐쇄에 저해요인으로 생각되었다.

• 한국환경보건학회지
• /
• 제35권6호
• /
• pp.433-446
• /
• 2009

Pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment are trace contaminants of growing importance in environmental health due to their physiologically active nature. Pharmaceuticals could affect non-target species and might eventually damage sustainability of susceptible populations in the ecosystem. Potentials for health consequences among susceptible human population cannot be ruled out since long-term exposure to cocktails of pharmaceuticals, which might be present in drinking water, is possible. Selection of antibiotic resistant microorganisms is of another concern. In order to understand, and if needed, to properly address the environmental health issues of pharmaceutical residues, knowledge gaps need to be filled. Knowledge gaps exist in many important areas such as prioritization of target pharmaceuticals for further risk studies, occurrence patterns in different environments, chronic toxicities, and toxicities of pharmaceutical mixtures. Appropriate treatment technologies for drinking water and wastewater could be developed when they are deemed necessary. One of the simplest, yet most efficient measures that could be undertaken is to implement a return program for unused or expired drugs. In addition, implementation of environmental risk assessment frameworks for pharmaceuticals would make it possible to efficiently manage potential environmental health problems associated with pharmaceutical residues in the environment.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
• /
• 제4권3호
• /
• pp.163-166
• /
• 1999

Previously, the methanolic extract of Paeonia lactiflora seeds was shown to have strong ingibitory activity against soybean liposygenase (SLO). Four phenolic compounds were isolated from the seeds by solvent fractionation Sephadex LJ-20 column chromatography and preparative HPLC, and three of them showed strong SLO inhibitio and were characterized as trans-resveratrol, $\varepsilon$-viniferin and luteolin by UV, IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and MS spectrometry. trans-Resveratrol (IC50=1.02$\mu$M), $\varepsilon$-viniferin (IC50=0.81$\mu$M) and luteolin (IC50=10.01$\mu$M), first found in the above seeds, exhibited a potent SLO inhibitory activity although their activity was lower than that of a well-known lipoxygenase inhibitor, nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA) (IC50=0.57$\mu$M). These results suggest that Paenia lactiflora seeds, now an unused plant seed, may be developed into useful sources of anti-inflammatory drugs.