Journal of Pharmacovigilance

Abstract

Management of Unused Medicines in Households in Cotonou in 2022

Noudedji Edgard Magloire*

Background: The adequate management of Unused Medicines (UNM) is a major public health issue because their availability in households poses problems of health safety (self-medication, misuse, antibiotic resistance, accidental domestic poisoning) and environmental (contamination of surface water and underground chemicals). They also represent a societal cost. In addition, since the drug is not a trivial product, it must be used under very specific conditions and disposed of according to specified procedures to ensure health and environmental safety.

Objective: The general objective of this study was to study the management of unused or expired medicines by households in Cotonou and the associated health and environmental safety problems in 2022.

Settings and methods: This was a descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study conducted over a period of 4 months in the city of Cotonou. Our sample size was 402 households selected using multistage probability sampling. Data were collected using a digitized questionnaire on a smartphone using CSPro version 7.7 software and data analysis was performed using R version 4.1.3 statistical software.

Results: A total of 402 households responded to our survey questionnaire. Respondents from surveyed households were on average 42.66 years old (± 12.5 years). The minimum age was 18 while the maximum recorded age was 85. There were 247 men (61.44%). Ninety five point seventy seven percent (95.77%) of households had MNU in their possession, which was mainly represented by antiinflammatories/antipyretics, vitamins and antibiotics. The majority of respondents (88.49%) checked the expiry date of the MNU before reuse. However, 5% of respondents did not check the expiry date before reuse. A proportion of 93.77% of households disposed of MNU through household waste and 95% of household representatives surveyed had never received training or information on the proper management of MNU. It was declared 8.50% of cases of drug poisoning due to MNU. In addition, more than half (78.11%) of respondents were unaware that improper disposal of MNU could have a negative impact on the environment. Age and male gender were the factors favoring the possession of MNU within households. When the age of the head of household increases by one year, he is 0.9 times more likely not to store UMNs in his household. In addition, households headed by a man are 7 times more likely to have unused materials stored at home compared to households headed by a woman. The majority of respondents also felt that safe disposal of MNU, the establishment of a collection structure and raising awareness of the general public on the proper management of MNU were necessary.

Conclusion: The study showed that most households had MNU on them, sometimes with reuse without checking the expiry date and disposal via household waste. This situation poses health and environmental safety problems that require the implementation of strategies to strengthen the management of pharmaceutical waste.

Published Date: 2022-10-05; Received Date: 2022-07-30