International and National Regulations on Management of Pharmaceutical Products and their Post-Consumer Waste

Abstract

Purpose: To analyze the international and national legal and normative devices regarding the management of pharmaceutical products and their post-consumption waste. To guide this review, the following question was posed: what is the national and international evidence on the management of pharmaceutical products and their post-consumption waste?   Method/design/approach: Descriptive review consisting of an investigation of technical and normative documents. To this end, representative countries of the European Union, North America, and South America were included in this review.   Results and conclusion: They were found to be: (1) the European Union model, which is characterized in a general framework for all Member States; (2) the North American model, where most countries are not subject to a common regulatory framework; (3) the South American model, where most countries have legal provisions implemented at the national level. Thus, it is inferred that the countries analyzed have regulations, even if in different spheres of government.   Research implications: The contributions point to the knowledge of the legislations, provoking questioning about the way they are being executed and the concretization of these changes.   Originality/value: The development of this research allows us to know the history of the legislations and have a broader and more critical view of the theme, so that measures can be taken to mitigate and remediate the impacts.