The RxCarbon Story

Our mission – Protect Workers and the Environment

We started out looking for a way of eliminating illegal diversion of narcotics. We didn’t think existing methods of a separate disposal container, located centrally, usually one spot on each floor, made sense. These systems are very expensive and require a healthcare worker to move unused narcotics from a treatment room to the centralized disposal location. We felt the immediate wasting of unused narcotics, in the same treatment room as the drugs were administered, was the safest way of eliminating illegal diversion. Our goal was to embrace existing, regulated waste containers, drug deactivation/sequestering methods and disposal practices into a low cost, super easy to use product.

The standard drug deactivation/sequestering method is activated carbon. We chose a proprietary blend of activated carbon (we named RP718) as the aDsorbent deactivation method and mixed that technology with an aBsorbent pad that would be placed, by the container manufacturer, in existing regulated waste containers. The result is an ‘Oreo® cookie’ like designed pad that has aBsorbent material in the middle sandwiched by activated carbon, encased by a permeable, lint free cover. This design means that regardless of whether the drugs enter the pad from the top or bottom the activated carbon will aDsorb the active ingredients in the drug, making them harmless. We did extensive testing, included on our website. The effort took over 5 years and resulted in the RxCarbon™ Pad (regulated waste containers & drug take-back kiosks) and RxCarbon™ Poly Pad (clean-up wipes, spill kits, USP800 surface protection).

The RxCarbon Pad eliminates illegal diversion and protects our air and water from drug contamination.

After designing the Pad, we recognized a need to address USP800 and decided to add a leakproof impermeable backing to the Pad, creating the RxCarbon Poly Pad. This pad can be used as a clean-up wipe, in spill kits, for infusion surface protection, hazardous drug transport and storage. It’s used just like old style existing wipes and pads with the added benefit of deactivating controlled and hazardous drugs. RxCarbon Pads and Poly Pads are the only Pads in the world that also deactivate drugs!

The RxCarbon Poly Pad with a poly backing and has been tested to prove it doesn’t leak making it ideal for infusions, oncology drug transport/storage and under the hood compounding (see the testing here).

RxCarbon Poly is USP<800> compliant. They are super easy to use. Simply place them under hazardous oncology fluids during transportation, storage, compounding and infusion. The pads completely protect surfaces from being contaminated by hazardous oncology fluids and sequester hazardous liquids by aDsorbing and aBsorbing them. The Pads are an amazing value at only pennies per infusion.

More on the RxCarbon Pad and why we chose a pad for existing containers. When it comes to pharmaceutical waste disposal, the ‘dirty little secret’ is: many healthcare practitioners already squirt excess pharmaceutical waste into regulated waste containers. Why? Because it’s logical, it’s intuitive, and it’s safer than moving it, in an uncapped syringe, to a ‘central’ location or illegally squirting it down the drain. The EPA acknowledges the widespread practice of wasting controlled substances and other pharmaceutical waste into regulated waste containers. The EPA also acknowledges the risk of regulated waste treatment workers being exposed to aerosolized active pharmaceutical ingredients (API’s) when drugs are autoclaved; and autoclave wastewater containing hazardous drugs discharged into the sewer, contaminating water. RxCarbon eliminates these concerns.

We saw this current practice of squirting pharmaceutical waste into regulated waste containers as an opportunity and asked ourselves:

What if we made a product that made the practice of squirting excess pharmaceutical waste into a regulated waste container safe, easy and inexpensive? What if the product could also eliminate the problem of controlled substances being illegally diverted? What if the product deactivated both controlled substances and hazardous drugs via irreversible aDsorption? What if a version of this product, could be used to protect surfaces from being contaminated by hazardous drugs; meaning it would also comply with USP<800> by protecting the practitioner from exposure to hazardous drugs contaminating surfaces? What if we could offer these products for a lot less money than inferior products currently being used?

We answered those questions by developing RxCarbon and RxCarbon Poly.

RxCarbon is simple to use. They go into your existing regulated waste containers and deactivate controlled substances and hazardous drugs by aDsorbing API’s and aBsorbing the liquids which “carry” the drugs.

Existing pharmaceutical waste disposal products are very expensive and require moving the unused pharmaceutical waste to a central disposal location, often in a used syringe. The vast majority of pharmaceutical waste is in liquid form. It is not practical or safe to transport liquid pharmaceutical waste to a centralized disposal location. In the past this waste was squirted down the drain, but this can’t be done anymore. As mentioned previously the EPA acknowledges awareness that liquid pharmaceutical waste is being squirted into regulated waste containers. This practice is occurring. RxCarbon provides failsafe liquid-controlled substance deactivation in existing regulated waste containers eliminating diversion, protecting workers and the environment.

For more information or to purchase contact us at 866-436-9264 or email

RxCarbon is protected by patent number 11,344,933 in the USA and uses our proprietary blend of activated carbon, called RP718.

RxCarbon^®
Controlled & Hazardous Drug Deactivation Pad
Protecting Workers & the Environment