SOUTHERN PINES – A North Carolina startup is gearing up to further help the opioid crisis now that new legislation has been signed to accelerate related efforts across the U.S.
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump signed sweeping legislation designed to address the problem. DisposeRX, which already works with Walmart, Rite Aid and other partners to sell its opioid disposal kids, wants to help.
“Together, we are going to end the scourge of drug addiction in America,” said Trump. “We are going to end it, or we are going to at least make an extremely big dent in this terrible, terrible problem.”
DisposeRX
Two executives from DisposeRx, Dr. John Holaday, CEO, and William Simpson, president, joined Trump at the signing ceremony along with executives from 20 other private companies invited to attend the event based on their work to stem the opioid epidemic.
After the signing ceremony, DisposeRx announced that the company will donate a quantity of their DisposeRx at-home drug disposal packets sufficient to destroy more than 10 million opioid pills in American households.
“We are committed to stop the opioid epidemic by eradicating the misuse of unused medications,” said Simpson. Simpson claimed that the source of 70 percent of new opioid addictions stem from home medicine cabinets. DisposeRx aims to solve the problem of drug disposal, and also works with pharmacists and retail drug providers to assist in drug disposal.
Leftover medications are potentially fatal time bombs that must be destroyed the moment they are no longer being used,” said Holaday. “We urge all Americans to use this week to clean out their medicine cabinets and put an end to needless overdoses and deaths from drug misuse, abuse and diversion.”
According to the company, they strive to spearhead programs that educate communities with practical, convenient, and inexpensive medication disposing solutions. In doing so, they aim to prevent drug addictions, overdoses, deaths, and environmental pollution.
Tweeted the company on Thursday:
“In light of yesterday’s #HB6 bill signing, our call for America to “clean out your medicine cabinets” jumpstarts with #NationalTakeBackDay,” But it’s just the start! Access to site-of-use disposal of #opioids and other drugs can make this an everyday event!”
How to eliminate 10 million opioid tablets
The company plans to distribute their DisposeRx at-home drug disposal packets through charitable community organizations in communities across the country.
“Some of these charity organizations have a better understanding of the community network,” said Simpson, “Where the real pain is and the drive needs to be.”
DisposeRx is still establishing the new program and plans to open up an online application community organizations can use to request disposal packets in the next few months. Then, said Simpson, “we’ll start working with organizations to get the right information and materials in the right hands.”
“The ultimate goal is to get these opioid tablets out of home medicine cabinets,” said Mary Sundeen, senior vice president of corporate communications. “So this program is really about helping us get into the communities in a meaningful way by working with local charitable groups.”
DisposeRx packets contain a blend of patented and proprietary solidifying materials that provide a safe solution for the disposal of unused or expired medications. When water and the DisposeRx powder are added to drugs in the prescription vial and shaken, the drugs are dissolved and then chemically and physically sequestered in a viscous polymer gel made from materials that are FDA approved for oral medications.
The company, founded by Holaday in 2015 and re-incorporated in North Carolina in 2017, also produces a podcast series about the opioid epidemic to help continue to raise awareness about opioids and addiction.
DisposeRX bases its headquarters in Southern Pines and its business office in Sanford.
