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 Indiana 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.
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. helps people around the world save money
and live better – anytime and anywhere – in retail stores, online,
and through their mobile devices. Additional information about
Walmart can be found by visiting http://corporate.walmart.com on
Facebook at http://facebook.com/walmart and on Twitter at
http://twitter.com/walmart.
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
rhonda.sciarra@mallinckrodt.com
Meredith Fischer
Chief Public Affairs Officer
314-654-3318
meredith.fischer@mallinckrodt.com
Government Affairs
Mark
Tyndall
Vice President, Government Affairs
202-383-0090
mark.tyndall@mallinckrodt.com
Investor Relations
Coleman N. Lannum, CFA
Senior Vice President, Investor Strategy and IRO
314-654-6649
cole.lannum@mallinckrodt.com
Daniel J. Speciale, CPA
Director, Investor Relations
314-654-3638
daniel.speciale@mallinckrodt.com
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SOURCE Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals