Mallinckrodt Supports Safe Home Disposal Of Unused Medications

DUBLIN, March 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals announced today that it will donate over 120,000 Medsaway^® medication inactivation pouches to healthcare providers to provide patients a safe, convenient and environmentally friendly way to dispose of unused medications at home.

The donation of medication inactivation pouches to 5,000 US physicians is designed to help further build awareness of patient safety and responsible drug disposal as well as reinforce Mallinckrodt's commitment to responsible use of pain medications. The donation is timed to coincide with the National Patient Safety Foundation's (NPSF) annual Patient Safety Awareness Week, March 8-15, 2015. Since 2003, NPSF has promoted Patient Safety Awareness Week, a global campaign to inform and educate health professionals and raise awareness among the general public about patient safety.

"As a member organization in the NPSF Patient Safety Coalition, Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals shares the foundation's goal of making healthcare safer for all," said Tejal K. Gandhi, MD, MPH, CPPS, president and CEO of NPSF. "We commend their efforts to ensure the safe use and proper disposal of prescription medications."

Medsaway pouches are manufactured by Minneapolis-based Verde Technologies, whose mission is to provide safe, environmentally responsible solutions for disposal of unwanted pharmaceutical waste, to discourage misdirection and abuse of pharmaceutical products, to minimize pharmaceutical contamination of water, and to help prevent accidental poisonings.

Today, prescription drug abuse is the fastest-growing U.S. drug problem, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention¹. Consider reports that 72 percent of patients who were prescribed opioids had leftover amounts², and more than 70 percent of those who abused prescription pain relievers got them from friends or relatives³. Mallinckrodt is dedicated to providing safe and effective medications for treatment of patients with pain, and is equally committed to working with policy makers, law enforcement and industry partners to address the complex issues of opioid addiction and abuse.

"We all play an important role in ensuring responsible use of pain medication," said Mario Saltarelli, M.D., PhD., Senior Vice President and Chief Science Officer. "By working together, we can help prevent unused medications from ending up in the wrong hands."

Find more information at www.mallinckrodt.com/disposal and www.npsf.org.

ABOUT MALLINCKRODT
Mallinckrodt is a global specialty biopharmaceutical and medical imaging business that develops, manufactures, markets and distributes specialty pharmaceutical products and medical imaging agents. Areas of focus include therapeutic drugs for autoimmune and rare disease specialty areas like neurology, rheumatology, nephrology and pulmonology along with analgesics and central nervous system drugs for prescribing by office- and hospital-based physicians. The company's core strengths include the acquisition and management of highly regulated raw materials; deep regulatory expertise; 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 Global Medical Imaging segment includes contrast media and nuclear imaging agents. Mallinckrodt has approximately 5,500 employees worldwide and a commercial presence in roughly 65 countries. The company's fiscal 2014 revenue totaled $2.54 billion. To learn more about Mallinckrodt, visit www.mallinckrodt.com.

CONTACTS FOR MALLINCKRODT:
Rhonda Sciarra
Communications Manager
314-654-8618
[email protected]

Meredith Fischer
Senior Vice President, Communications and Public Affairs
314-654-3318  
[email protected]

Cole Lannum or John Moten
Mallinckrodt Investor Relations
Cole Lannum
314-654-6649
[email protected]
John Moten
314-654-6650
[email protected]

1. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report Vol 61, No. 1, Center for Disease Control and Prevention Jan 13, 2012
2. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report Vol 59, No. 6, Center for Disease Control and Prevention Feb 19, 2010
3. 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH): National Findings, SAMHSA (2010).

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SOURCE Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals