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VINEYARD, Utah County — A new company believes it has found a low-cost and safe solution to dispose of unused or expired prescription medications in a matter of minutes.
RX Disposal’s CEO Ryan Sawicki said NarcX is the first environmentally safe system to instantly neutralize drugs that have a tendency to be abused. It is a liquid solution that dissolves medications.
“It's good for all Food and Drug Administration medications, so you can put anything in there and it will dissolve, and so we are beginning to make this an everyday take back instead of a 'biannual' take back, if you will,” he said.
Unlike secure drop boxes where drugs have to be transported and then incinerated, which can be expensive for health providers, Rx Disposal claims its new proprietary formula NarcX is environmentally safe for any location. Within the disposal solution is a formula that would prevent an addict from attempting to abuse the dissolved drugs.
"If they were to go in and drink this solution or shoot up, it has elements in it that would induce vomiting,” Sawicki said.
The company is beginning to market its product, primarily to hospitals and pharmacies, but does plan a consumer product that people could use in their own homes.
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Utah’s growing opioid problem and what’s being done to stop it
Since 1999, the amount of opioid-related deaths from illegal and legal opioids has skyrocketed. With a statewide crisis on its hands, law enforcement officials, legislatures and medical professionals are all banding together searching for a solution.RX Disposal says it has met Drug Enforcement Administration and Environmental Protection Agency standards and believes this concept will take over the drug disposal industry in the very near future.
Sawicki added that this one-step disposal idea will help reduce the number of people addicted to pain medications.
“It's really to save lives and put a dent in the opiate epidemic. We are one small part of a puzzle, but this is at least a start," he said.
