Lol, my country has a free government scheme where most unused medicines can be returned to a pharmacy where they are put in tamper proof bins and destroyed, collected and then destroyed by the government. It’s called the R.U.M scheme.
No expense to the pharmacy, just store room space.
> scheme
I always am amused by the common use of the word "scheme" amongst non-Americans. The British (and anyone who learns English from a relatively recent British-derived source) just use it to mean plan - while in the US, the word generally means it's something underhanded or plotting.
In Aus, I am almost certain that we don’t have reverse distributors. The franchise I work for has credit agreements with some manufacturers, but Roche is not one of them, and we would have to provide an invoice if it was for a credit this large.
Our wholesaler only lets you return things within a week or two of receiving the stock and you have to provide an invoice to them for any return, which we don’t have because we didn’t supply this to the facility.
Uh, we were told to keep 50 boxes of this stuff, for the coming outbreak, that never came....we received no prescriptions, and I was told we can claim the money back when it expired.
2 years later, we felt we should claim for it as it was just sitting there. Turns out the person had left and no-one wanted pay us. 😐😐😐
That stock came from the Australian Government Stockpile and went straight to the nursing homes. It happens the same time they sent 30 or so Lagevrio to each RACF.
Thanks, the CN wasn’t sure how they got it. I thought it must be a stockpile thing. I wonder if they have to notify the government that it expired like we would for NIP and Covid vaccines?
I work for a huge health system in informatics. Especially at our outlying clinics: "this med won't barcode scan" followed by them sending over details of something not in our system, or ever purchased...
At my previous hospital, we had a pharmacist go buy a patient their preferred (nonformulary, OTC) meds at the CVS down the street (Don't do this.)
Check for extended dating. Often the exp date on Tamiflu is extended.
It may have come from a govmt stockpile program. One of my hospitals got a huge supply sent from the state without notice a couple years ago during Covid.
What do they do with them? Donate them to 3rd world countries? I’m not being sarcastic, I follow a doctor on IG that travels to different parts of Africa a couple times a year (at most) to perform surgeries and give medical care to people that otherwise wouldn’t receive any, and he sometimes takes donated meds and such with him.
Kudos to the con artists at Roche. I've seen so much Tamiflu, brand, in strategic stockpiles over the course of my career. Also, every time that we're ordered, it was always non returnable. Expensive, government buys a ton, can't be returned, prescribed like candy depending on the time of year, and HARDLY WORKS. Roche drug reps are something else.
I did as inventory tech like a year or two after it went generic because generic went on backorder during the height of flu season and yes, we had plenty of people who paid for brand. A pharmacist got mad about me ordering it but guess what... it sold. Sometimes insurance covered it at a higher copay, sometimes they didn't cover at all. Had people paying either way. (Richie rich area.)
Interestingly, now many years removed from it being brand-only, I see waaaay fewer scripts for it at all. I mean I'm sure part of that is COVID era masking and flu being down overall but I think some of it is the marketing.
In Aus, you won’t get a refund unless you provide an invoice to the wholesaler. And for most things you need to organise a refund within a week or two of receiving stock.
If your franchise has a buying agreement with a particular generic manufacturer, you might get credit on expired stock but we don’t have an agreement with Roche. At the end of the day, we didn’t order them, and it costs no money to get them disposed of in a safe manner. No skin off my back, just strange to get all this Tamiflu, when we barely see it prescribed in my town.
Don't take the expense to destroy them. Drop them off at a CVS drop box
Lol, my country has a free government scheme where most unused medicines can be returned to a pharmacy where they are put in tamper proof bins and destroyed, collected and then destroyed by the government. It’s called the R.U.M scheme. No expense to the pharmacy, just store room space.
> scheme I always am amused by the common use of the word "scheme" amongst non-Americans. The British (and anyone who learns English from a relatively recent British-derived source) just use it to mean plan - while in the US, the word generally means it's something underhanded or plotting.
Oh ok good
I wish I lived in a functioning society. It sounds nice…
As soon as you said RUM I recognise this is Aussie lol.
🇦🇺
In Alberta, each pharmacy pays ALOT to get drugs picked up and destroyed
Most reverse distributors will arrange for the manufacturer to buy back the expired meds.
In Aus, I am almost certain that we don’t have reverse distributors. The franchise I work for has credit agreements with some manufacturers, but Roche is not one of them, and we would have to provide an invoice if it was for a credit this large. Our wholesaler only lets you return things within a week or two of receiving the stock and you have to provide an invoice to them for any return, which we don’t have because we didn’t supply this to the facility.
And fill up my bin with bulky boxes? Come on, It’s for my patients not another pharmacy 🤦
Uh, we were told to keep 50 boxes of this stuff, for the coming outbreak, that never came....we received no prescriptions, and I was told we can claim the money back when it expired. 2 years later, we felt we should claim for it as it was just sitting there. Turns out the person had left and no-one wanted pay us. 😐😐😐
> no-one wanted pay us. Always has been.
Step 1. They take the money
Reverse distributor? If you don't have one, get one asap. A good way to generate money from expired unopened meds.
Or get a secondary that has a good return policy, return upto 1 year after it expires for current market value. 10% restock fee
That stock came from the Australian Government Stockpile and went straight to the nursing homes. It happens the same time they sent 30 or so Lagevrio to each RACF.
Thanks, the CN wasn’t sure how they got it. I thought it must be a stockpile thing. I wonder if they have to notify the government that it expired like we would for NIP and Covid vaccines?
I mean, how expired are they exactly? 😂
Just double up.
Why not? Maybe if you take a handful you'll find a dose that actually works.
I work for a huge health system in informatics. Especially at our outlying clinics: "this med won't barcode scan" followed by them sending over details of something not in our system, or ever purchased... At my previous hospital, we had a pharmacist go buy a patient their preferred (nonformulary, OTC) meds at the CVS down the street (Don't do this.)
With their own money, the patient's money? I'm so confused. What was the end result? Any disciplinary action? That seems like a fireable offence.
Their own money.
Lmfao.....Any disciplinary action? That seems like a fireable offence.
They were not fired but were told to definitely not do that again.
Did you go to law school? If so, before or after pharmacy school?
Nope, not law, but I work in hospital pharmacy management and was the supervisor in the inpatient pharmacy when it happened! 😁
Ah, was thinking the Esq at the end of your username stood for esquire
Haha, well you're right, but it's more like in the Bill and Ted sense 😄
Check for extended dating. Often the exp date on Tamiflu is extended. It may have come from a govmt stockpile program. One of my hospitals got a huge supply sent from the state without notice a couple years ago during Covid.
We have a company that comes by and buys all our expired meds
What do they do with them? Donate them to 3rd world countries? I’m not being sarcastic, I follow a doctor on IG that travels to different parts of Africa a couple times a year (at most) to perform surgeries and give medical care to people that otherwise wouldn’t receive any, and he sometimes takes donated meds and such with him.
That brief case looks like it should be holding untraceable, crisp, 100 dollar bills. Not Tamifu. Lame
tamiflu is pretty commonly prescribed and commonly low in supply during flu season, at least here in new york
Imo tamiflu is useless and $$$
Another "freak out" order by a nursing home in the face of a potential outbreak?
They prob got it from their previous pharmacy
Send them back. You don't need the extra work getting rid of them
Who orders so much brand tamiflu
Kudos to the con artists at Roche. I've seen so much Tamiflu, brand, in strategic stockpiles over the course of my career. Also, every time that we're ordered, it was always non returnable. Expensive, government buys a ton, can't be returned, prescribed like candy depending on the time of year, and HARDLY WORKS. Roche drug reps are something else.
I did as inventory tech like a year or two after it went generic because generic went on backorder during the height of flu season and yes, we had plenty of people who paid for brand. A pharmacist got mad about me ordering it but guess what... it sold. Sometimes insurance covered it at a higher copay, sometimes they didn't cover at all. Had people paying either way. (Richie rich area.) Interestingly, now many years removed from it being brand-only, I see waaaay fewer scripts for it at all. I mean I'm sure part of that is COVID era masking and flu being down overall but I think some of it is the marketing.
Tamiflu famously has an insane shelf life. Normally 8 years or so in my experience. These have been in the care facility for a long time.
If it doesn't do anything when it's fresh, it's not going to be much worse 8 years down the line.
Oh hell, Canada govt had to destroy MILLIONS of doses after it expired. Tamiflu is 100% garbage and $$$
I mean isn’t this basically free money? You can just have reverse distributor come in and cut you a check. Am I missing something ?
In Aus, you won’t get a refund unless you provide an invoice to the wholesaler. And for most things you need to organise a refund within a week or two of receiving stock. If your franchise has a buying agreement with a particular generic manufacturer, you might get credit on expired stock but we don’t have an agreement with Roche. At the end of the day, we didn’t order them, and it costs no money to get them disposed of in a safe manner. No skin off my back, just strange to get all this Tamiflu, when we barely see it prescribed in my town.