Legislators Hear Bills to Regulate Illicit Pill Press Machines

Legislators in Massachusetts are considering two bills that would impose regulations and criminal penalties related to pill press machines, which have increasingly been used to manufacture dangerous counterfeit drugs such as fentanyl-laced pills. The bills aim to make it a felony to possess or sell pill presses with the intent to produce controlled substances, reflecting concerns about the machines' role in the surge of counterfeit pills that can be nearly indistinguishable from legitimate medication. Meanwhile, the broader pharmaceutical industry faces significant challenges in managing the disposal of unused and expired drugs, as highlighted by the DEA's biannual Prescription Drug Take Back Day, which collected over 600,000 pounds of unused pharmaceuticals in a single event. Proper disposal and compliance with complex regulations remain ongoing issues for hospitals, manufacturers, and research organizations. Additionally, environmental concerns around prescription drug packaging are being addressed with innovations like the Tully Tube, a new FDA-compliant pill bottle made primarily from compostable paper, aiming to reduce the billions of plastic pill bottles discarded each year.