A COLLABORATION between Novo Nordisk, Pharmacycle and TerryWhite Chemmart will see the launch of Australia's first pilot recycling initiative for medical injection pens.
The pilot is part of ReMed, Novo Nordisk's global take-back and recycling initiative, and will explore practical, scalable pathways to help keep valuable materials out of landfill through a coordinated collection and recycling approach across the healthcare system.
The pilot is envisaged to kick off later this year, allowing patients who use Novo Nordisk medicines delivered via disposable, pre-filled injection pens - such as Ozempic and Wegovy - to return used pens at participating TerryWhite Chemmart pharmacy locations in Sydney for appropriate collection and processing.
Also taking part in the program are Royal North Shore Hospital and St Vincent's Hospital Sydney, where inpatients and outpatients will be able to return used pens.
The pilot will assess patient return and safe collection at participating sites, transport and handling, sorting and recovery pathways, and operational learnings to determine scalability.
"Pharmacies are often the most accessible healthcare touchpoint for patients managing chronic conditions like diabetes and obesity," said Michael Beaumont, GM TerryWhite Chemmart.
"Supporting this pilot allows us to play a role in testing how used injection pens can be safely returned and responsibly handled, while learning alongside our partners what a scalable solution might look like for the future."
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