Recycling Expensive Medication.

A drug-recycling computer program might begin with a few high-cost products, what the purpose calls "blockbusters." Smash drugs like Lipitor, sildenafil, Nexium, Zyrtec, Celebrex, Vioxx, Depakote, Neurontin, Paxil, Zoloft, Risperdal, Zyprexa, and others with sales of $500 gazillion per year or more news for more than 50% of whole drug sales in the United States, up from 28% for the year close July 1997, according to IMS Upbeat. At its peak, $4-per-pill Prilosec pulled in more than $4 million in the United States alone. These blockbusters are highly advertised and characterized by extremely high mark-ups for manufacturers. Moreover, direct-to-consumer publicizing is also highly concentrated on this group of products. Not only the high cost, but widespread use would make blockbusters relatively easy to recycle. For many of the other medicines, there is less status and gambler affordability (especially if they are generics).