Renowned hospitals in the US select WasteLog™ to deter drug diversion of controlled substances

Pharmacolog i Uppsala AB (publ) announces that WasteLog™, used for drug diversion prevention, has been installed at several renowned hospitals throughout the United States.

Each year, medication errors in healthcare cause costs of over 10 billion dollars in the United States and Europe. Furthermore, thefts of controlled substances are a major problem in the American market and part of the opioid crisis, which overall results in damages with an estimated annual cost of 78.5 billion dollars. The DEA and other law enforcement agencies are increasingly investigating healthcare providers and pharmacies to identify cases of drug diversion, which can result in significant fines. As a result, it is becoming more crucial for healthcare providers to take further steps to prevent and detect drug diversion in their facilities. Pharmacolog's WasteLog™ provides a secure tool which helps healthcare facilities to achieve their goal.

Pharmacolog’s strategic partner in the United States, Codonics, installed a WasteLog™ system at one of the most prestigious hospitals on the east coast in April and waste screening has seamlessly been integrated in their drug diversion prevention program. To date, more than 400 measurements have been performed in their pursuit to detect and deter diversion. During the next couple of months, Codonics will install a number of WasteLog™ systems sold to renowned hospitals across the US known for specialties in oncology, pediatrics, and cardiology as well as several University Hospitals.

Due to the sensitive nature of drug diversion and the tragic consequences it sometimes entails, Pharmacolog and Codonics are unable to disclose the identity of the majority of hospitals since they wish to remain confidential. 

Mike Kolberg, Vice President & General Manager, Codonics comments: “We witness an increase in awareness of the advantages of waste screening and how well it fits in drug diversion prevention programs. The fact that the method has been adopted by several renowned hospitals and that the systems are used with high frequency shows that we have succeeded in establishing WasteLog™ as a well-accepted tool to help prevent drug diversion.”