PharMerica Donates 820,739 Prescriptions to Underserved Patients in 2022
April 4, 2023
Partnership Helps Patients in Need Access Necessary Medications to Stay Healthy
Nearly 1 in 4 Americans have difficulty affording their medicine. In many cases, they鈥檙e choosing between a meal and their medication. Simultaneously, up to $11 billion worth of surplus medications go unused every year. To help under-resourced families access life-saving medications, PharMerica has partnered with SIRUM since 2015 to donate unused, unexpired drugs.
As part of the partnership, PharMerica pharmacies throughout the country in states where drug returns are not accepted package up and ship medications to SIRUM that would otherwise be destroyed. SIRUM then donates the prescriptions to its multi-state network of charitable partners, who distribute the medications in local communities. Last year alone, PharMerica donated 820,739 prescriptions valued at an estimated $16,649,425.
鈥淲e鈥檙e honored to help break down barriers and enable patients who may otherwise not have the opportunity to access life-saving medications for chronic disease management and improve health equity in underserved communities,鈥� said Jennifer Yowler, President of PharMerica.
In addition, PharMerica鈥檚 partnership with SIRUM also helps:
- lower drug destruction costs, which can run $1-3 per pound
- reduce pharmaceutical runoff in waterways, 70% of which are contaminated
- free up staff with a turn-key process for collecting and shipping the medications
Watch the to see our drug donation partnership with SIRUM in action and learn more about how, together, we are saving medicines to save lives.