The Honorable Greg Walden
Chairman
United States House of Representatives
Energy & Commerce Committee
2125 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Frank Pallone
Ranking Member
United States House of Representatives
Energy & Commerce Committee
2125 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Chairman Walden and Ranking Member Pallone:
As our country continues to combat the opioid epidemic, it is encouraging to see the House Energy & Commerce Committee lead the way and take constructive action through its consideration of over 60 pieces of legislation to address the issue. I had the honor of providing testimony to your Committee on March 21, 2018. Opioid overdoses kill tens of thousands of people each year, and your landmark legislation under consideration by the Committee is pivotal to saving lives and overcoming the opioid crisis.
As you are well aware, over 70% of opioid addictions, overdoses, and deaths begin in the medicine cabinet. To address this problem, DisposeRx has developed an at-home, site-of use drug disposal solution for unused, unwanted, expired, or off-therapy medications. Our product is the most-tested drug disposal system available, and we are the “Gold Standard” of in-home drug disposal. We offer an effective method for drug disposal that chemically and physically
renders drugs non-retrievable in a viscous gel from which they cannot be extracted for abuse or contaminate the environment. However, we are not the only company that provides an at-home solution.
Our mission at DisposeRx is to empower the consumer to safely and permanently dispose of unused medications, including opioids and drugs with abuse liabilities, with at-home solutions that render drugs non-retrievable. After the addition of DisposeRx and water to the drugs in the prescription vial, they are thrown into the trash where they ultimately biodegrade in landfills. Our solution comports with the language of the DEA’s guideline published as 21 CFR Subpart C, 1317.90 that endorses technologies that render “all controlled substances to a non-retrievable state.”
Research has shown that take-back and kiosk strategies are inconvenient and encourage diversion, whereas at-home solutions that empower consumers to destroy their drugs in an environmentally friendly manner are a better solution.
We commend the Committee for considering legislation authored by Representative Hudson that commissions a study to evaluate the effectiveness of at-home solutions compared to takehome or kiosk strategies.
We are passionate about providing a solution to our country’s epidemic of overdose and death brought about by the misuse and abuse of opioids. Thank you for your consideration, and we look forward to working with you and your colleagues in the coming weeks and months to confront and reverse this crisis.
Sincerely,
John Holaday, PhD.
Chairman and CEO
DisposeRx, Inc.
