The cost of wasted drugs is significant

As Singapore looks to contain rising healthcare costs, it should look at ways to curb medication waste, said Nominated Member of Parliament Irene Quay at the recent debate on the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources’ budget.

The cost of wasted drugs is significant.

Estimates by a local hospital show that the drug wastage cost detected during a pharmacist’s home visit was S$663 per patient, said Ms Quay in her Parliament speech.

“Hypothetically speaking, if a pharmacist is given the resource to visit 10 patients a week over a one-year period to perform a full reconciliation, the total potential drug savings can amount to at least S$329,000, with S$176,000 and S$153,000 of savings in subsidies and out-of-pocket savings, respectively,” said Ms Quay, who is president of the Pharmaceutical Society of Singapore.