Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals Donates Drug Deactivation Pouches to Enable Safe Disposal of Prescription Drugs in South Carolina

CHESTERFIELD, United Kingdom, Oct. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals (NYSE: MNK), a leading global specialty pharmaceutical company, today announced it will provide 160,000 drug deactivation pouches to families in South Carolina as well as across the U.S. Midwest and Central Appalachia to encourage the safe and responsible disposal of leftover prescription pain medications.

Mallinckrodt will make the pouches available – free of charge – at nearly 800 Walmart store pharmacy locations across Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia. A potential 7.2 million prescription pills could be destroyed if each of the 160,000 pouches is used to capacity.

The user-friendly pouch-based systems deactivate prescription drugs and render chemical compounds safe for landfills. After placing unused medications in the specially formulated pouch and adding regular tap water, the pouch can be sealed and thrown away with the household trash. The pouches are completely biodegradable, providing an environmentally responsible way to deactivate and dispose of drugs.

This donation is part of Mallinckrodt's 1-million pouch donation initiative to help combat the abuse of prescription pain medications, which is one of the top public health threats in the U.S. today.

"As a company focused on the health and well-being of our patients and communities, Mallinckrodt has long been a strong advocate of addressing the complex issues of opioid misuse and abuse that cause so much harm to families," said Mark Trudeau, Mallinckrodt President and Chief Executive Officer. 

"We share the concerns of parents across the nation, and believe that providing patients with a safe, environmentally responsible way to dispose of unused medications is critical in this fight against prescription drug abuse," added Trudeau. "Mallinckrodt is committed to working with policy makers, community leaders, law enforcement and industry partners to ensure the responsible use of pain medication and prevent unused medications from ending up in the wrong hands."

The initiative reinforces Mallinckrodt's long-standing commitment to the safe and responsible use of medications and collaboration with community leaders and organizations who share its goal of building public awareness of the critical role of responsible drug disposal in the fight against prescription drug abuse.

A national survey of U.S. adults who used opioids showed that nearly 6 out of 10 had or expect to have leftover opioids, according to findings published online June 13, 2016, in the JAMA Internal Medicine journal. Nearly 68 percent of those who used prescription pain relievers non-medically in 2012-2013 got them from friends or relatives, according to the 2013 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

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ABOUT MALLINCKRODT

Mallinckrodt is a global business that develops, manufactures, markets and distributes specialty pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical products and therapies, as well as nuclear imaging products. Areas of focus include autoimmune and rare diseases in specialty areas like neurology, rheumatology, nephrology, pulmonology and ophthalmology; immunotherapy and neonatal respiratory critical care therapies; analgesics and hemostasis products; and central nervous system drugs. The company's core strengths include the acquisition and management of highly regulated raw materials and specialized chemistry, formulation and manufacturing capabilities. The company's Specialty Brands segment includes branded medicines; its Specialty Generics segment includes specialty generic drugs, active pharmaceutical ingredients and external manufacturing; and the Nuclear Imaging segment includes nuclear imaging agents. To learn more about Mallinckrodt, visit www.mallinckrodt.com.

Mallinckrodt uses its website as a channel of distribution of important company information, such as press releases, investor presentations and other financial information. It also uses its website to expedite public access to time-critical information regarding the company in advance of or in lieu of distributing a press release or a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission disclosing the same information. Therefore, investors should look to the Investor Relations page of the website for important and time-critical information. Visitors to the website can also register to receive automatic e-mail and other notifications alerting them when new information is made available on the Investor Relations page of the website.

CONTACTS

Media
Rhonda Sciarra
Senior Communications Manager
908-238-6765
[email protected]

Meredith Fischer
Chief Public Affairs Officer
314-654-3318
[email protected]

Government Affairs
Mark Tyndall
Vice President, Government Affairs
202-383-0090
[email protected]

Investor Relations
Coleman N. Lannum, CFA
Senior Vice President, Investor Strategy and IRO
314-654-6649
[email protected]

Daniel J. Speciale, CPA
Director, Investor Relations
314-654-3638
[email protected]

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SOURCE Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals

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