Fimea issues a reminder: A medicine that is unnecessary to you is not to be sold or used by others

Sometimes, usable medicines that are no longer needed are left over in households. Fimea points out that selling medicines is only allowed for pharmacies, and donating unnecessary medicines is not a good idea either.

The reason for medicines being left unused may be, for example, a change in medication or the fact that the medicine is no longer needed. When a medicine is no longer necessary for the person or animal for whom it has been prescribed or acquired on the basis of advice, it is pharmaceutical waste. 

Selling medicines between consumers is illegal and dangerous

Medicines that are unnecessary to you should not be sold or donated. There are serious risks associated with the use of medicines by another person. Sales of medicines between consumers have been observed, for example, in social media flea markets.

Under the Medicines Act, medicines can only be sold at outlets and online stores of legal pharmacies. The exception is nicotine products, which may also be sold at outlets with a separate retail license. Donations from one consumer to another involve serious risks, as the need, suitability and safety of a medicine can only be assessed by an expert. The prescriber takes into account, for example, other illnesses, other medication and the age of the patient or animal, all of which affect the selected medicinal treatment and its safety.

Only obtain medicines through a legal and official distribution channel

Medicinal products should not be purchased from private individuals, on illegal websites or on other unreliable marketplaces. There is no guarantee as to the content, efficacy or quality of medicines obtained that way. 

Even if the medicine was originally purchased from a legal channel, incorrect storage may have affected the quality of the medicine. At worst, a medicine with reduced efficacy may pose a risk of death. The content of medicines obtained through an illegal channel, such as an illegal online pharmacy or a private individual, may be completely different from what the packaging suggests.

The best way to avoid counterfeit medicines is to purchase medicines through a legal distribution channel, i.e. pharmacies or legal pharmacies’ online shops.

Legal online pharmacies operating in the EU can be identified by a common symbol, more information on which can be found on Fimea’s website. By clicking on the symbol, you can verify legality on the website of the authority of the country where the online pharmacy is located. Fimea’s website contains a list of legal online pharmacies operating in Finland (in Finnish).

Dispose of pharmaceutical waste responsibly

It is good to check the contents of your medicine cabinet regularly. Expired and unnecessary medicines are pharmaceutical waste.

Always return pharmaceutical waste to a pharmacy or a municipal disposal point, from where it will be delivered to a hazardous waste treatment facility. Households can take pharmaceutical waste to a pharmacy free of charge. 

Never dispose of pharmaceutical waste in a mixed waste container, as it may be accessible to children or misused. Also, do not rinse pharmaceutical waste into the sewer, because if medicines end up in the environment, they may affect microbial species or animal and plant life in the soil or waters.

Read more

How should medicines be disposed of? (Fimea.fi)