Title: The Growing Opioid Crisis
The United States is currently facing an unprecedented public health crisis… the opioid crisis. It’s become a silent killer, claiming lives, and tearing apart families. In this blog, we will explore the alarming magnitude of the opioid crisis and the urgent need for action to combat this devastating epidemic.
The Magnitude of the Crisis:
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA-link the website article), more than 130 people die every day from opioid-related overdoses. These records also show that in 1990 only about 20,000 US citizens died from opioids, but as of 2021, that number has increased five-fold up to roughly 110,000 opioid related deaths nationwide. This crisis knows no boundaries and will affect individuals regardless of age, gender or socioeconomic status.
Causes and Contributing Factors:
One of the primary causes is the over-prescription of opioids by healthcare providers. In the past, pharmaceutical companies downplayed the addictive nature of opioids, leading to widespread overuse and user dependency. The easy availability of illicit opioids, such as fentanyl, has fueled the crisis, as these highly potent substances can be manufactured and distributed very quickly and even secretly.
How Pharmaceutical Returns Service is addressing this crisis:
From Hospitals to pharmacies, PRS has made it our mission to help stop drug diversion so that we can slow the opioid epidemic. We help keep timely reporting of companies’ drug inventory so that there are less chances of illicit substances reaching the streets and causing more harm. We offer a drug take-back program to help communities that are struggling with this crisis today. The more harmful narcotics we can keep off the streets, the better chance we have at stopping this epidemic.
Conclusion:
The opioid crisis in America is being downplayed as a quiet challenge, but demands immediate action and attention. It’s important we work collectively to address the root causes, expand access to treatment, raise public awareness and find methods to stop drug diversion. By doing so we can strive to prevent further loss of life, help people recover from addiction, and restore communities. Together we can overcome this silent killer and pace the way for a brighter future for all Americans.
Idea #2 What is the DSCSA?
The final implementation of the DSCSA (Drug Supply Chain Security Act) goes into place on November 27th, 2023. The FDA is cracking down on manufacturers, wholesalers distributors, repackagers, dispensers, and third party logistics providers by making them required to electronically report any drug or product that has been determined illegitimate within 24 hours of discovery. If your company is a part of this industry and hasn’t prepared for this new FDA requirement, I suggest you continue reading.
The History of the DSCSA
In 2004, California took the first step towards keeping track of prescription drugs by beginning the process of serialization. In short, their law required all manufacturers to serialize their products and show proof of their origin in their data tracking system. Roughly 9 years later the FDA saw this state’s success and had congress enact the DSCSA back in 2013. This began the 10-year implementation of the Act in the supply chain.
This graphic depicts the entire timeline:
Suggestions to Prepare
- Do your due diligence in assessing the systems your company uses today. After doing so, determine if there needs to be a change in staff, technology or simply the need to create a new process within your organization.
- Check up with your partners or distributors to make sure their systems are up to date.
- Run tests to validate your returns and disposal systems
- Find a third-party logistics provider!
Conclusion – We’re here to help
This whole process may sound very daunting, but it’s important to be proactive so that your company can continue to be successful.
Pharmaceutical Returns Service is committed to making this stressful situation simple, which is part of the reason why we did not include all of the extra details that are included throughout the DSCSA. Instead, we’re here to help you through the entire process because quite frankly, your company has more important things to worry about.
If you would like to learn more about the nitty gritty details about the finalization of this Act, we’ve attached a few links that better explain it. For more information, or personal clarity, feel free to click the contact Us link and submit your questions. We will get back to you as fast as possible!
Links to help
#3 Blog Idea
The Importance of Green Practices in The Pharmaceutical Industry
In 2021, during the beginning of the post-COVID19 era, sustainable business practices sky-rocketed. Consumers all over the world are becoming more and more likely to spend their money on businesses that have the ESG (Environment. Social. Government) label or one that simply supports a greener economy. Today’s blog is going to talk about the benefits of implementing green practices in your business, the different ways for your company to become green and how Pharmaceutical Returns Service is helping with the transition to a greener industry.
Benefits of Going Becoming Sustainable
- Minimize your costs.
The number one thing a lot of companies complain about when it comes to investing in sustainability is that it takes a large investment upfront. Research suggests though, that in the long run businesses actually save on costs. The University of Maryland proved this through their study back in 2011, “over time, you’ll save money by prioritizing sustainability. A 2011 McKinsey survey on the business of sustainability found that 33% of businesses were integrating sustainable practices to improve operational efficiency and cut costs — resulting in a 19% increase from the previous year. Over the course of 10 years, clients of the managed service provider Elytus saved over $11 million through sustainable waste management and transparency”.
- Improve The Company Image
This section does not need any statistics to help explain this simple idea: consumers are favoring a future that includes a greener economy. You could stick with the old tried and true method of business in a linear economy, but make no mistake, change is inevitable for the pharmaceutical industry.
- Increase Your Bottom Line
Even though it may appear like a waste of money upfront, being environmentally proactive within a company can help improve your bottom line. Especially after minimizing costs and gaining more market share from consumers favoring sustainable businesses.
Ways Your Company Can Go Green Today
- Try implementing a recycling program at work
- Not only does this help improve your company’s image, but it incentivizes your employee’s to be a part of a community that’s contributing to something greater than themselves.
- Let employees work remotely
- After COVID19 working remotely became the craze of many employees. However, this new ability to work from home has saved millions of people from increasing their carbon footprint by driving to work every day…. Not to mention the waste they might have produced along the way for food and drinks.
- Partner with Green companies
- Consumers aren’t the only ones pushing for a greener future. Companies can now look into each other’s environmental backgrounds in order to make sure that they have similar sustainability interests before partnering.
Pharmaceutical Returns Service’s Green Practices
- Sources: