Waste generation of drug product samples versus prescriptions obtained through pharmacy dispensing

Drug samples are often packaged differently from bulk packaging and thus th ey mall contain a disproportionate amount of waste material. Fifteen drug s amples were obtained from seven pharmaceutical companies and the packaging materials were weighed after the samples were removed. The waste produced b y the samples was determined for a standard amount of drug and compared wit h the weight of the waste produced when the same quantity of drug was dispe nsed through a pharmacy. The average weight of the sample package for a sta ndard course of therapy was significantly greater (p less than or equal to 0.05) than that of the pharmacy-dispensed prescription waste weight. The fo rmer was 5 +/- 4.5-fold heavier than the latter. The waste generated by dru g samples in the United States was determined to be 5740 metric tons/year.