To collect leftover medicines, SIGRE employs a closed management system, operating on the basis of reverse logistics, which employs the same distribution channel as pharmaceutical companies used to make their products available to the public.
Spanish pharmaceutical distributors provide SIGRE their technical and human resources through the National Federation of Wholesale Distributors for Proprietary Medicinal Products (FEDIFAR), taking responsibility for the process of collection and storage of the waste medicines deposited by members of the public in the Punto SIGRE.
Pharmaceutical distribution warehouses perform important healthcare functions by:
- Certifying the authenticity of the products they purchase and supply.
- Ensuring the monitoring of each batch placed on the market, in order to effectively withdraw a batch whenever it may be needed, thereby minimising risks to health.
- Supporting controls on the traffic of substances and products subject to special control measures.
In addition to these healthcare functions, they now perform an environmental task: coordinated by FEDIFAR, distribution companies also take part in SIGRE, taking responsibility for managing the entire system of collection of waste medicines in pharmacies and transporting them to pharmaceutical distribution warehouses.
