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Denver Las Vegas Los Angeles Minneapolis Chicago Dallas Houston New York Newark Cincinnati Atlanta Charlotte Orlando/Sanford, FL San Francisco UNITED AMERICAN UNITED AMERICAN UNITED DELTA DELTA DELTA AMERICAN DELTA AMERICAN UNITED UNITED AMERICAN ALLEGIANT (SEASONAL) ALLEGIANT ALLEGIANT Washington, DC AMERICAN Destin ALLEGIANT (SEASONAL) Almost 40 fl ights a day to 16 destinations. * Thursday, May 31, 2018 21 NWA Democrat-Gazette Walmart Shareholders Walmart Inc. is offering pharmacy cus- tomers a way to dispose of unused pre- scription drugs in their homes, taking a step it hopes will help curb the misuse of opioids. The Bentonville retailer said custom- ers having prescriptions filled for Class II opioid drugs at any Walmart or Sam's Club pharmacy are given a packet of pow- der developed by North Carolina-based DisposeRx Inc. The product, when added to warm wa- ter, transforms any form of the prescrip- tion drugs into a biodegradable gel that can't be diverted to another use and can be placed in the trash. Mary Beth Hays, executive vice pres- ident for consumables and health and wellness at Walmart U.S., said the health and safety of patients is a critical priority for the company. Walmart is funding the initiative to take an "active role in fighting the nation's opioid issue." "While this issue requires many re- sources to solve, we're confident that this unique, easy to use-disposal solution, Dis- poseRx, will make a meaningful impact on the lives of many," Hays said. Class II drugs are those that have a high potential for abuse. Walmart declined to say how many Class II prescriptions it fills in a year but cited data from the federal National Institute of Drug Abuse that more than 2 million people in the U.S. suffer from substance-abuse disorders re- lated to prescription opioid pain relievers. More than 65 percent of people misusing prescription opioids are getting them from relatives and friends, according to the Sub- stance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. DisposeRx was created as a way to re- sponsibly dispose of leftover medication. DisposeRx co-founder and CEO John Hol- iday said the product has been available for six months and used in select hospitals in the U.S. "We're proud to be working with Walmart to introduce this through their pharmacy and through that opportuni- ty to make it available to their patients," Holiday said. The disposal system works by adding warm water to a bottle containing unused medication until it is two-thirds full. Then the DisposeRx powder is added to the bot- tle, the cap is put on and the contents are shaken for 15 to 30 seconds. The solution solidifies in less than 10 minutes, becoming a gel that can be thrown away. Holiday said it has been determined safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. John Kirtley, executive director of the Arkansas Board of Pharmacy, said he got a glimpse of the solution while meeting with Walmart about the product. He said the fi- nal, gel-like solution looks very difficult to misuse because of the way the DisposeRx powder breaks down the drugs. "I think this is a great solution for peo- ple on a small scale, how to prevent single bottles of prescription drugs from poten- tially harming other people," Kirtley said. Kirtley still recommends disposing of the drugs at one of more than 100 take- back locations around the state because they go to a facility approved by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Walmart, which also sells a similar drug deactivation system called Deterra in its stores, does not accept pill returns. But the company said the DisposeRx initiative is one of several ways it is trying to address prescription drug abuse. The company also said it stocks nalox- one — which can reverse opioid overdoses — and will offer the drug for sale or for dispensing by a pharmacist in states that allow it. Arkansans can purchase naloxone over the counter without a prescription after the state last year passed a new law intended to curb fatal opioid overdoses. Walmart said it funds a variety of mul- tistate programs that teach young people about the dangers of prescription drug use. Retailer to throw in opioid disposer Walmart Photo Walmart Inc. is offering pharmacy customers a way to dispose of unused prescription drugs in their homes, taking a step it hopes will help curb the misuse of opioids. ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE