The national campaign to collect expired medicines “The Earth does not drink medicine” is launched today. It is organized by the pharmaceutical campaign Boiron and Kaufland Bulgaria in partnership with the Ministry of Health. The purpose of the campaign is to raise the alarm that drugs thrown into household waste are one of the reasons for the emergence of antibiotic resistance, which threatens humanity.
As part of the initiative, mobile points will be organized at Kaufland Bulgaria parking lots, where citizens will be able to bring their expired medicines. The first mobile point will be on October 19 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the capital’s Mladost 3 district of the hypermarket chain on Filip Avramov Blvd. No. 3. “The Earth does not drink medicine” will visit Plovdiv on October 26 at the Kaufland parking lot Hristo Botev – south (Macedonia St. 97 B). The last stop of the pilot project will be in Varna on November 2 at Kaufland Troshevo – 2 Hristo Smirnenski Street. For the collection, removal and destruction of the medicines, the organizers have signed a contract with the licensed company “Ekosafe”, which has its own incinerator for the disposal of dangerous waste.
“Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the greatest global threats to public health. According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), it was the cause of 5 million deaths in 2019 alone. The misuse and overuse of antibiotics in humans, animals and plants are the main drivers for the development of drug-resistant pathogens,” commented the chief state health inspector Assoc. Ph.D. Angel Kunchev. Among WHO’s priorities for dealing with AMR is the prevention of all infections that can lead to inappropriate use of antibiotics.
The active ingredients of drugs thrown away in household waste can end up in the soil and water and lead to a negative impact on the entire ecosystem. If antibiotic residues are ingested by humans through the food and water they consume, this can trigger antimicrobial resistance.
“As a world leader in homeopathy, the topic of antibiotic resistance is extremely important to the pharmaceutical company Boiron. The search for solutions to limit it is rooted in the philosophy of homeopathic therapy. There is a body of medical evidence showing that incorporating homeopathy into the treatment of a number of ailments can reduce the need for antibiotics. The most comprehensive medical study to date was conducted in France among 825 general practitioners and 8,559 of their patients over a 12-year period. It showed that patients with upper respiratory tract infections treated with homeopathy took 57% fewer antibiotics and 46% fewer antipyretics and anti-inflammatories compared to the group treated only with traditional medicine. Of course, each treatment is individual and must be prescribed by a doctor,” shared Dr. Persian Bukov, Boiron’s operations director for Central and Eastern Europe.
“Protecting soils from chemicals in medicines is extremely important to us at Kaufland Bulgaria. We believe that every effort and every correctly disposed drug counts. This is also the reason for us to get involved – we hope that through us and our stores the campaign will reach millions of people who will improve their habits in disposing of expired medicines”, commented Kremena Georgieva, manager of “Cooperative Communications” at Kaufland Bulgaria .
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