The Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU) today claimed that millions of euro worth of drugs are being wasted and thrown away by patients who do not know how to take their medicines properly.
One in every five older people is concerned that they are not taking their medicines properly according to research carried out by the IPU, pharmacist Keith O'Hourihane told the union's AGM today.
He described the findings as "very concerning given the strong possibility of accidental overdose or underdose as the case may be if older people are uncertain how much medication they are to take."
Mr O'Hourihane expressed his frustration at the amount of medicines he says are simply wasted and the amount of money being spent on drugs from which patients are getting no benefit.
The IPU passed a motion which called on the Health Service Executive to support a formal medicines management system for patients.