Safer Options controlled drug denature kits are approved for supply through the NHS Supply chain catalogue via our NHSSC distributor Alpha Laboratories Ltd; the awarded supplier of our product range on the current contract.

Arrangements for destroying and disposing of controlled drugs must be in place and in line with the 2001 Regulations and the Controlled Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2012, regardless of the source of supply. CDs must be denatured (e.g. tablets crushed, ampoules opened) before disposal.

Within the NHS in England CDs may be legitimately be stocked at a number of organisations including community pharmacies.

Should CD stock expire or otherwise become obsolete, CD Destruction must be manged in line with the Guidelines from NHS England; The Controlled Drugs (Supervision of management and us) regulations 2013 Single Operating Model (2013).

UK Medicines Information is an NHS pharmacy based service whose aim is to support the safe, effective and efficient use of medicines by the provision of evidence-based information and advice on their therapeutic use. In their guidelines for Dentists, How should Dentists prescribe, store, order and dispose of controlled drugs? (2016), they specify that “All Schedule 2, 3, and 4 (part 1) controlled drugs, including midazolam, must be denatured or rendered irretrievable before they are disposed of.” e.g. by using a denaturing kit.

Veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses have legal and professional responsibilities in relation to veterinary medicines. Veterinary professionals involved in prescribing, supplying, recording, storing, disposing or destroying CDs must comply with the Misuse of Drugs Regulations (2001). Regulation of CDs within veterinary practice is governed and inspected by the Home Office, the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS).

The Controlled Drug Guidance (2015) from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons recommends:

1. Destruction of CDs should occur with sufficient frequency (for example, monthly) to ensure that excessive quantities are not stored awaiting destruction.
2. CDs should be rendered irretrievable before disposal, e.g. by using a denaturing kit

Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians have a responsibility to dispose of the drugs / pharmaceutical waste that they produce responsibly. Although classified as non-hazardous, waste drugs should be disposed of through incineration through a waste management contractor.