Drug Recycling Program

Donate Unusable or Extra Meds for Recycling

The Drug Recycling Program at the Minnesota AIDS Project is a partnership program with Aid For AIDS, an organization that collects antiretroviral and anti-microbial medicines from persons who have changed therapies or discontinued their use. MAP serves as the official drop-off site for Aid For AIDS in the state of Minnesota. HIV medications and medications used to treat opportunistic infections are processed at MAP, sent to Aid For AIDS in New York, and then sent to HIV-positive individuals (under the supervision of their treating physicians) in Latin America, Africa, and the Caribbean.

If you are a Minnesota resident, click here for information on what medications are acceptable to donate and specific instructions on how to donate them.

The Minnesota AIDS Project is only able to accept drug donations from Minnesota residents. If you live outside of Minnesota, please click here to visit the Aid For AIDS Web site and find out how to make a donation directly to them.

Minnesota residents wanting to make a drug donation should call the MAP AIDSLine for more information:

MAP AIDSLine
612-373-AIDS (metro)
800-248-AIDS (statewide)
612-373-2465 (metro TTY)
888-820-2437 (statewide TTY)
mapaidsline@mnaidsproject.org

For more information about Aid For AIDS, please visit their website at www.AidForAIDS.org.

All antiretroviral medications are collected and recycled within the state of Minnesota, including protease inhibitors, nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors, and fusion inhibitors.

Donations of medicines to prevent and treat HIV-related opportunistic infections such as antibiotics, antifungals, other antivirals (e.g., for herpes infections) and anti-neoplastics (e.g., for HIV-associated malignancies) are also welcome. Other medicines acceptable for donation include those used for HIV wasting disease and side-effects management (e.g., for peripheral neuropathy, lipid lowering drugs, anti-emetics).

In addition, this program welcomes both adult and pediatric formulas and dosages, as well as drugs that require refrigeration.

Drugs Eligible for the Drug Recycling Program

ANTIRETROVIRAL MEDICATIONS:

Protease Inhibitors/PIs (Fortovase, Crixivan, Norvir, Kaletra, Viracept, Reyataz, Lexiva, Invirase)
Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors/NRTIs (Epivir, Trizivir, Zerit, Videx, Viread, Emtriva, Ziagen, Retrovir, Hivid)
Non-Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors/NNRTIs (Viramune, Sustiva, Rescriptor)
Nucleotide Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (Viread)
Fusion Inhibitors/FIs (Fuzeon)

TREATMENTS FOR OPPORTUNISTIC INFECTIONS/OIS:

Antibiotics (to treat Mycobacterium Avium Complex/MAC, Salmonellosis, Mycobacterium Kansasii, Syphilis, Neurosyphilis, Tuberculosis/TB)
Antifungals (to treat Candidiasis/Thrush, Aspergillosis, Coccidioidomycosis, Cryptococcal Meningitis, Histoplasmosis)
Antivirals (to treat Cytomegalovirus/CMV, Hepatitis C, Herpes Simplex Virus, Herpes Zoster Virus/Shingles, Human Papiloma Virus/HPV, Molluscum Contagiosum, Oral Hairy Leukoplakia/OHL, Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy/PML)
Antineoplastics for Malignancies/Cancers (to treat Anal Dysplasia/Cancer, Cervical Dysplasia/Cancer, Kaposi’s Sarcoma/KS, Lymphomas)
Antiprotozoals (to treat Pneumocystis Carinii Pneumonia/PCP, Toxoplasmosis, Cryptosporidiosis, Isosporiasis, Microsporidiosis)

TREATMENTS FOR OTHER HIV-RELATED CONDITIONS:

Peripheral Neuropathy (Neurontin)
Wasting Syndrome Medications (Antiemetics, Reductase Inhibitors/Lipid-Lowering Drugs, etc.)

MAP’s Drug Recycling Program will not accept psychotropic drugs, pain-relievers, or any other medications not listed above.

We accept drugs from any patient, physician’s office, pharmacy, or other medical supplier within the state of Minnesota.

If you have any further questions regarding a particular medication and its eligibility, please call the MAP AIDSLine at 612-373-2437 or toll-free at 800-248-2437.

How to Donate Medications

To comply with applicable legal strictures and to respect the confidentiality of persons living with HIV, we kindly request that you remove the names and addresses of all individuals from prescription bottles. Be sure to not remove information regarding the prescription type or expiration date when removing personal information.

When you are ready to make a donation, either drop your donation off at the Minnesota AIDS Project or mail them in a box or other appropriate packaging to the following address:

Minnesota AIDS Project
Att: Drug Recycling Program Coordinator
1400 Park Ave. S
Minneapolis, MN 55404

Please place all pill bottles in a sealable plastic bag and place this bag inside a cardboard box. All pill bottles should be securely closed. Previously opened and partially used bottles of medication are acceptable. No loose capsules or tablets will be accepted.

Three of the protease inhibitors and one fusion inhibitor require refrigeration: Fortovase (soft-gel saquinavir), Kaletra (lopinavir/ritonavir), Norvir (ritonavir), and Fuzeon (enfurtivide/T-20). Please keep medications that require refrigeration in your refrigerator before bringing them to MAP. No special packaging is necessary if the medications are brought directly from your refrigerator to our office or if they are shipped using USPS next day Express Mail®.

For further questions regarding shipping medications within Minnesota or other arrangements for drug drop-offs, call the MAP AIDSLine at 612-373-2437 or toll-free at 800-248-2437.

Last Updated: Tuesday, April 3, 2007
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