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Tustin, Calif., August 4, 2005 Problems in Managing Hospital Drug Waste Effectively Detailed in New Monograph "A Vital Step...." Explains the Critical Environmental Impact of Hospital Pharmaceutical Waste The growing problem of the effect of improperly disposed pharmaceutical waste on public waterways is detailed in a new monograph edited by widely recognized environmental safety issues authorities. "A Vital Step in Managing Pharmaceutical Waste" discusses the present difficulty hospitals have in meeting stringent state and federal pharmaceutical waste disposal compliance guidelines. The result? Closer governmental regulatory scrutiny, an upswing in fines, and raised concerns due to the proliferation of improperly dispensed waste entering our waterways, as reported in depth in the June 23rd edition of The Washington Post1. Russell F. Mankes, Ph.D., Albany Medical Center, Albany, New York, specialist in environmental ecology and toxicology, and Linda Lee, Ph.D., The University of Texas, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, expert on hospital environmental safety issues, served as co-editors of "A Vital Step...." The monograph includes detailed references to published studies concerning drug contamination of waterways, and the problems facing hospitals in controlling pharmaceutical waste management. A typical hospital needs to dispose of up to one million unused drugs a year, many not covered by current disposal regulations. "A Vital Step..." points out the barriers to comprehensive safe drug disposal including a lack of expertise in sophisticated waste disposal, especially concerning newer pharmaceuticals and those not covered in EPA and other regulations; incomplete or ineffective disposal of bioaccumulative toxins, such as mercury and complex organic compounds; and no current practical system for managing pharmaceutical waste effective at the point of care. The educational monograph was funded by a grant from Vestara™, Tustin, California, a company expressly formed to develop technologies that will assist hospitals with their drug waste management. In 2006, Vestara is slated to introduce EcoRex™, a fully automated, integrated system that will answer the critical need for safe and simple waste removal. EcoRex will virtually eliminate personnel oversights as to proper disposal, help lower administration costs, and reduce a hospital¹s risk of fines for non-compliance by identifying and classifying the thousands of daily unused pharmaceuticals, then sorting them into the proper stream for disposal ¬ all at or close to the point of care. Three collection station configurations will be available: mobile cart, tower or wall mounted. Access "A Vital Step...." monograph at www.vestara.com/newsroom.asp or contact: Steve Johnson, Corporate Development, at (714) 258-7272; sjohnson@vestara.com. 1. Reference Article: "Pharmaceuticals in Waterways Raise Concerns," Washington Post, June 23, 2005 ********* Vestara, Inc. 714-258-7272 Established in 2003 to solve hospitals’ pharmaceutical waste disposal problems, Vestara™, a Vestara Medical LLC based in Tustin, California, is the developer of EcoRex™, an automated technology and information system that identifies, classifies, and sorts the thousands of a hospital’s daily unused pharmaceuticals to facilitate hospital professionals; compliance with all the regulations of drug disposal. EcoRex is a simple to use automated system that virtually eliminates personnel oversights as to proper disposal, lowers the cost of compliance, and reduces the hospital’s legal risk for non-compliance. Three collection station configurations will be available: mobile cart, tower or wall mounted. For more information, contact: Or Media Contact: Betsy Myers |
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