Activated Carbon-Based System for the Disposal of Psychoactive Medications

Crystal Clear: Metal-Organic Frameworks Pioneering the Path to Future Drug Detox

The growing number of acute drug abuse overdoses demands the development of innovative detoxification strategies for emergency purposes. In this study, an innovative approach for the application of porous Zr-based metal-organic frameworks for the treatment of acute overdoses of popular drugs of abuse including amphetamine, methamphetamine, cocaine, and MDMA is presented. A comprehensive approach determining the efficacy and the kinetics of drug removal, considering dosage, adsorption time, and adsorption mechanisms, was tested and corroborated with density functional theory (DFT) modeling. The experimental results showed high removal efficiency reaching up to 90% in the case of the application of the NU-1000 metal-organic framework. The difference Raman spectroscopy method presented in this study corroborated with DFT-based vibrational analysis allows the detection of drug adsorbed in the MOF framework even with as low a concentration as 5 mg/g. Additionally, the drug adsorption mechanisms were modeled with DFT, showing the π-π stacking in a vast majority of considered cases. The performance and influence on the living organisms were evaluated throughout the in vitro and in vivo experiments, indicating that Zr-based MOFs could serve as efficient, organic, safe drug adsorbents.

Chemical Degradation of Intravenous Chemotherapy Agents and Opioids by a Novel Instrument

Purpose: To assess chemical degradation of various liquid chemotherapy and opioid drugs in the novel RxDestruct™ instrument. Methods: Intravenous (IV) drug solutions for chemotherapy and pain management were prepared using 0.9% normal saline in Excel^® bags to a final volume of 500 mL. We investigated duplicate IV solutions of methotrexate (0.1 mg/mL), etoposide (0.4 mg/mL), doxorubicin (0.25 mg/mL), cladribine (12.4 µg/mL), fentanyl (1.0 µg/mL), and hydromorphone (12.0 µg/mL) in this study. Solutions were poured into an automated instrument to undergo pulsatile chemical treatment (Fenton reactions) for 20 minutes, and then discharged from the instrument through a waste outlet. Extent of intact drug degradation was determined by measuring concentrations of drugs before entry into the instrument and after chemical treatment in the filtrate using high-performance liquid-chromatography with ultraviolet detection (HPLC-UV). Results: Following chemical reactions (Fenton processes) in the automated instrument, infusion solutions containing methotrexate, etoposide, doxorubicin, and cladribine had levels below the HPLC-UV limit of quantification (LOQ), indicating <50 ppb of each. This equated to >99.5%, 99.99%, 99.9%, and 99.8% intact drug loss, respectively. Likewise, processed samples of fentanyl and hydromorphone contained levels below the LOQ (78 and 98 ng/mL, respectively), indicating extensive degradation (>92.2% and 99.2% intact drug loss, respectively). Conclusion: The novel instrument was capable of degrading intact chemotherapy and opioid drugs prepared in infusion solutions to undetectable quantities by HPLC-UV. RxDestruct™ is a possible alternative for disposal of aqueous medication waste.

Development and implementation of SafeMedWaste, a chemical denaturant for non-hazardous disposal of controlled medications

Substance use disorders are a significant public health issue. Options to dispose of controlled medications are limited, increasing the risk of diversion. Providing an alternative for disposal, a chemical denaturant, SafeMedWaste, was designed to destroy controlled substances irreversibly and safely be placed in non-hazardous landfills. Via HPLC–MS, four formulations of SafeMedWaste were tested with 34 different liquid controlled medications from DEA schedules I–V. Beta testing assessed the efficacy of SafeMedWaste in a clinical setting and on waste generated in a manufacturing setting. Furthermore, a formulation of SafeMedWaste was tested on solid controlled medications. All 34 of the liquid medications tested (e.g., amphetamine, diazepam, fentanyl, ketamine) were fully destroyed in SafeMedWaste within 2–24 h. Analysis of a beta test sample of SafeMedWaste containing fentanyl, midazolam, and morphine waste collected in a hospital showed full denaturation of these drugs in 24 h. Variants of SafeMedWaste were optimized to denature six different controlled substance waste samples from a manufacturing facility. In contrast to side-by-side studies with a charcoal disposal system using the same drugs, SafeMedWaste fully inactivated and destroyed the controlled substances in the waste streams. Another formulation of SafeMedWaste was tested on solid medications, which were fully denatured in 48–72 h. In conclusion, SafeMedWaste irreversibly denatures controlled medications that present a problem in our society.

Transdermal Delivery of the Free Base of 3-Fluoroamphetamine: In Vitro Skin Permeation and Irritation Potential

This work aimed to continue our effort in establishing the feasibility of 3-fluoroamphetamine (also known as PAL-353) to be a transdermal drug candidate by studying the delivery of the base form through the human cadaver skin in lieu of the previously investigated salt form, and for the first time using an EPIDERM™-reconstructed human epidermal model to predict the skin irritation potential of PAL-353, in support of development for a matrix-type transdermal delivery system. Passive and enhanced (with chemical permeation enhancers) transdermal delivery were investigated via in vitro permeation studies that were performed on Franz diffusion cells with dermatomed human cadaver skin. After 24 h, PAL-353 free base revealed high passive permeation of 417.49 ± 30.12, 1577.68 ± 165.41, and 4295.16 ± 264.36 μg/cm², with applied formulation concentrations of 5.5 (F1), 20 (F2), and 40 (F3) mg/mL, respectively. Oleyl alcohol produced an approximately threefold steady-state flux enhancement at 5% or 10% w/w but may not be needed as the free base alone provided therapeutically relevant permeation. Further, it was predicted that therapeutically relevant delivery would be unlikely to cause skin irritation using the EPIDERM™-reconstructed human epidermal model. In conclusion, the present study further supported the development of PAL-353 transdermal delivery systems.

Evaluation of an activated carbon disposal system for safe disposal of model prescription sedative medications

Lack of a safe and convenient disposal method for expired and unused medications may lead to many problems such as accidental exposure, intentional misuse, and food and water contamination. Activated carbon can offer safe disposal of medications due to its highly porous structure, which exerts strong physical adsorption forces with chemicals. This study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of an activated carbon-based drug disposal system for deactivating three model sedative prescription medications. Deactivation was performed by mixing the medication, activated carbon, and tap water. Desorption was evaluated by exposing the deactivation system to wash-out solutions. Rapid, precise, accurate, and sensitive HPLC-UV method for each drug was successfully developed, validated and employed. Results of the 28-day deactivation study showed that on average, more than 94.00% of drugs were rapidly deactivated within 8 hours. All drugs reached more than 99.00% deactivation by the end of 28-day period. Desorption study demonstrated that all medications were retained by the system, with insignificant amount of drug (0.25%) leached into the washout solutions within 24 hours. In conclusion, activated carbon rapidly and successfully deactivated the medications tested, suggesting activated carbon-based drug disposal system provides a convenient, secure, and effective method for unused medication.

Prescription drug disposal: Products available for home use

OBJECTIVE

Unused medications in the home are often improperly stored and may lead to unintentional harm, misuse, and diversion. Single-use disposal systems products allow consumers to safely inactivate unused medication and provide an environmentally friendly alternative to flushing medication down the toilet or discarding in the trash. The objective of this commentary was to review current medication disposal options and inform pharmacists of new products that may be used by patients to dispose of medications in the home setting.

DATA SOURCES

Current recommendations on medication disposal from U.S. regulatory agencies (e.g., the Environmental Protection Agency) were reviewed and summarized comparatively. Information on the mechanism of action, price, and method of use of 8 new single-use disposal systems suitable for outpatient use were taken from each product manufacturer's website.

SUMMARY

Eight single-use disposal systems were identified. Seven products used chemical deactivation to render medication safe for disposal, and 1 product allowed consumers to mail medication to a central processing facility for incineration. Products ranged in size from 2 oz to 1 gal, offering consumers the ability to dispose of anywhere from 60 to 3000 tablets per unit, respectively. Unit costs varied widely from $5 per single-use pouch to $190 for a 40-gal box intended for incineration.

CONCLUSION

Pharmacists and consumers must consider cost, effectiveness, and environmental impact when recommending and selecting products for medication disposal at home. More research is needed to understand the cost-effectiveness of each disposal system and to identify strategies to encourage uptake by health systems and use by consumers. Including content on home medication disposal in pharmacist-continuing education activities and raising workforce awareness of these products are critical to improving public safety.

Development and validation of an HPLC-UV method for analysis of methylphenidate hydrochloride and loxapine succinate in an activated carbon disposal system

Unused medications have the possibility of being abused, causing serious harm to individuals who were not prescribed the drug. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends the proper disposal of unused prescribed medications to maintain safety and prevent environmental hazards. However, many of the current disposal techniques do not properly address safety. A drug disposal pouch containing granular activated carbon offers a unique disposal method to deactivate residual or expired medication in a convenient, effective, and safe manner. A robust and validated method for methylphenidate hydrochloride and loxapine succinate was developed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and the deactivation efficiency of the disposal system was tested. Methylphenidate hydrochloride was analyzed on a C₁₈ analytical column (250 mm × 4.60 mm, 100Å) using acetonitrile-water (0.05% (v/v) trifluoroacetic acid) as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min with a run time of 15 min and retention time of 7.8 min. Loxapine succinate was separated on a C₈ 100Å (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 µm) column maintained at 25 °C using a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The run time was 10 min and the retention time of the drug was around 4.6 min. Mobile phase was composed of acetonitrile and water (0.3% triethylamine) at pH 3.0 as 40:60 (v/v). Reference standard solutions (100 µg/mL) for both drugs were prepared by dissolving in mobile phases. These methods provide good linearity (R² = 0.999) over the range of 5–100 µg/mL for methylphenidate hydrochloride and 0.1–100 µg/mL for loxapine succinate. The assay methods were successfully applied to study the deactivation of these drugs.