United States
Hong KongReturns and disposal
A named knowledge area covering the return of dispensable stock to inventory, the handling of non-dispensable product, and the disposal of expired medication into the correct stream.
The last of the four Order Entry knowledge areas, and it is a sorting problem.
The three categories
| Category | Destination |
|---|---|
| Dispensable | Back to stock, where it never left the pharmacy's control |
| Non-dispensable | Removed from stock, and disposed of or returned as applicable |
| Expired | Removed and disposed of into the correct waste stream |
What makes something non-dispensable
- It left the pharmacy's control, which for most products means it cannot be returned to stock
- The container is damaged or the seal broken
- It has been stored outside its required conditions
- It is subject to a recall
- It has expired
Once a product has left the pharmacy nobody can verify how it was stored, so it cannot re-enter inventory for another patient. Candidates working in a pharmacy with a generous returns policy sometimes answer from that policy, and the policy is about refunds rather than about restocking.
Controlled substances are separate
A returned controlled substance engages the DEA regime. Destruction is governed by 21 CFR Part 1317 and requires the substance be rendered non-retrievable, and take-back operates through authorized arrangements. Sort at the point of discard.
It is not put in the ordinary returns bin.
Hazardous items are separate again
Discarded medications that are listed hazardous wastes go into the hazardous stream under 40 CFR 261, and the mixture rule at 261.3 is why segregation happens at the point of discard. Three categories, three destinations.
Manufacturer returns and credit
Some unsaleable stock can be returned to the manufacturer or a returns processor for credit, according to the applicable policy. That is a commercial process running alongside the regulatory one. Refunds are not restocking.
What a technician does
Sorts at the point of removal, into the right destination, following the pharmacy's documented procedure rather than judging item by item.
Common questions
Can patient returns go back to stock?
Generally no. Once a product leaves the pharmacy nobody can verify how it was stored.
What makes something non-dispensable?
Leaving the pharmacy's control, damage, broken seals, storage failures, recalls or expiry.
How are returned controlled substances handled?
Under the DEA regime - destruction under 21 CFR 1317, or authorized take-back.
What about hazardous items?
Into the hazardous waste stream under 40 CFR 261, segregated at the point of discard.
What does a technician do?
Sort at the point of removal into the right destination, following the documented procedure.