PRESS RELEASE | Minister for Health announces introduction of MediBack, a free in-pharmacy service for the safe disposal of unused and expired medicines

The Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill TD, announced on 28 August 2026 that a new free service called MediBack will be rolled out in community pharmacies across Ireland. The scheme will allow members of the public to bring unused or expired medicines to their local pharmacy for safe disposal, with no cost to the patient.

MediBack is aimed at reducing the amount of medicine that remains in circulation and at mitigating a range of risks. By ensuring that expired or unused drugs are removed from homes, the service is expected to help curb antimicrobial resistance, limit the chance of falsified or diverted medicines entering the black market, reduce accidental poisoning and support suicide prevention and self‑harm reduction by limiting access to potentially lethal substances.

The roll‑out is part of the country’s One Health objectives, which seek to protect people, animals and the environment from the hazards of inappropriate medicine storage or disposal. Pharmacists are seen as uniquely positioned to manage the service because they are highly accessible, experienced in safe disposal procedures and aware of the dangers posed by unused or expired medicines.

The service will be available in community pharmacies throughout County Cork and beyond, with the aim of making safe medicine disposal a routine part of pharmacy visits. The Minister said that the free service would help reduce the quantities of unused medicines in the community and support the broader public health strategy.

For more details, see the original press release from Cork County PPN.

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