Aid for AIDS

The Recycling Program

AFA offices collect all medications related to the treatment of HIV & AIDS. These include:

The medication recycling program has been designed to reach a specific target population: people living with HIV & AIDS (PLWHA) who are in treatment. Utilizing medical representatives, a drop-off program, and internet advertisements, AFA reaches the target population, their caregivers, and any community based organization that provides services for people affected by HIV & AIDS.

To date, these mechanisms have proven effective: in 2005, AFA collected $4.2 million worth of antiretroviral medications, and another $1 million in prophylaxis. Furthermore, at the end of 2005, 5000 people, in 24 different countries, received recycled medications from AFA.

Donate Medicine to Aid for AIDS

Donors are a very important part of AFA and we welcome your assistance in donating medicine for people in need. To make any medicine donation, Please follow these instructions:

AID FOR AIDS takes all antiretroviral and HIV prophylaxis medications in their original containers and must not have already expired, AFA accepts sealed containers of liquid and powder medications and either sealed or unsealed containers of pills.

1. If you live in New York metropolitan area or south Florida please check the list of
drop-off points available in your area, bringing the medication to the drop-off points would avoid the costs of packaging and shipping.

2. To comply with applicable legal structures 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.

3. Please place all pill bottles in a (sealable) plastic bag and place this bag inside a padded envelope or cardboard box. All pill bottles should be securely closed. Please: no loose capsules or tablets should be present in the plastic bag or box!

4. Please fill out the donor card, print it and place the card inside the envelope or box, if you would like to keep your donation anonymous please fill out the statistics fields, we need to keep track of donations trends.

The Medical Representative Initiative

In addition to efforts informing individuals about the recycling program, AFA directly addresses the physicians writing ARV prescriptions. AFA staff identifies and contacts local physicians, presenting the recycling program to each one personally. Physicians who wish to cooperate with AFA are provided with informational pieces for their clients and, more importantly, collect any unused medications from their patients. This resource is particularly important as it focuses on physicians: the first line in prescribing ARV medication. When a doctor changes a patient's ARV regimen, he/she can remind the patient not to discard unused medications, but, instead, bring them to the office for the doctor to donate to AFA.

To join this initiative please send an e-mail to:

The Drop-Off Program

The Drop-off Program was created to increase the efficiency and productivity of the collection process. Because 80% of the prescriptions donated come from individuals (rather than institutions or organizations), AFA developed a system of channeling medications into the organization, instead of receiving them one at a time.

The Drop-off Initiative consists of a network of community based organizations that provide services to PLWHA. These organizations agree to provide information about AFA and/or collect unused medications from their clients. To assist with collection, AFA created a standard kit of communication pieces. These pieces are displayed in specified drop-off points, located in waiting areas, lobbies or entrance halls of clinics, institutions or organizations. Actual drop-off boxes provide information about the AFA recycling program, while providing protective storage for the donated medicines. Promotional pieces increase public awareness and improve collection efficiency.

Through the Drop-off program, AFA creates and maintains a permanent and consistent relationship with institutions providing any kind of services to PLWHA. AFA records all donations enabling them to track the impact of each organization, providing the organization with annual statistics, such as lives saved and dollar equivalents for prescriptions collected. These statistics can be used in company annual reports, justifying the presence of the boxes and emphasizing their achievements and importance.

To be part of the drop-off network, please send an e-mail to:

DROP OFF POINTS IN NEW YORK

AIDS CENTER OF QUEENS COUNTY Rego Park Site: 97-45 Queens Boulevard, 12th Floor, Rego Park, NY 11374 Jamaica Site: 175-61 Hillside Avenue, Suite 403, Jamaica, NY 11432 Far Rockaway Site: 1600 Central Avenue, Far Rockaway, NY 11691 Long Island City Site: 44-51 A 11th Street, Long Island City, NY 11101	A.C.Q.C LONG ISLAND CITY 42-57 Hunter Street, Long Island City, NY 11101
ARGUS COMMUNITY,INC 760 East 160th Street, Bronx, NY 10456	BIOSCRIP 197 8th Avenue, New York, NY 10011
CALLEN LORDE 356 West 18th Street, New York, NY 10009	GMHC 119 West 24th Street, New York, NY 10011 (lobby, 6th and 12th Floor)
HISPANIC AIDS FORUM Manhattan Site: 213 West 35th Street, 12th Floor, New York, NY 10001 Bronx Site: 886 Westchester Avenue, Bronx, NY 10459 Queens Site: 62-07 Woodside Ave 3rd Floor, Woodside, NY 11377	HOUSING WORKS 743-749 East 9th Street, New York, NY 10009
HOUSING WORKS BROOKLYN 26-40 Pitkin Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11208	HOUSING WORKS WEST SITE 320 West 13th Street, New York, NY 10014
IRIS HOUSE 23-48 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd. New York, NY 10030	STEINWAY CHILD FAMILY SERVICES 41-26 27th Street, Long Island City, NY 11101
THE LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL & TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY CENTER: 208 West 13th Street, New York, NY 10012	THE LONG ISLAND LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL & TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY CENTER 34 Park Avenue, Bay Shore, NY 11706

FAQs about Donating Medicine to Aid for AIDS

1. What does AFA do with the donated medicines?
2. What medicines does AFA collect?
3. Does the U.S. government allow donated drugs to be sent abroad?
4. Does AFA accept medications past their expiration date?
5. Do I need to do anything to the bottles before I send them?
6. What if the medicine requires refrigeration?
7. I live or work in the New York City area. What is the best way to get the medicines to you?
8. I live outside the New York City area. What is the best way to get the medicines to you?
9. What if I cannot afford to send you the medications I have?

 

1. What does AFA do with the donated medicines?

AFA currently provides lifelong antiretroviral (ARV) treatment and treatment education (secondary prevention, side effects management, adherence support) to over 550 HIV+ individuals (mostly in Latin America and the Caribbean) who would not otherwise have access to these life-saving therapies. We have a waiting list of 300 more, and it grows larger every day.

Through our AIDS Treatment Access Program, we also work to empower our clients to become their own health care advocates and activists. And we cultivate and maintain personalized relationships between our patients ("clients") and local healthcare providers, offering strong support networks.

All donated medicines are sent directly to patients and/or their healthcare provider. Aid for AIDS has established, on-going relationships with both doctor and patient in order to insure proper use and continuity of care.
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2. What medicines does AFA collect?

We collect ("recycle") all antiretroviral medications, including protease inhibitors (Fortovase, Crixivan, Norvir, Kaletra, Viracept, Reyataz, Lexiva, Invirase), nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (Epivir, Trizivir, Zerit, Videx, Viread, Emtriva, Ziagen, Retrovir, Hivid) and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (Viramune, Sustiva, Rescriptor).

We welcome both adult and pediatric formulas and dosages.

We also collect and welcome donations of medicines to prevent and treat HIV-related opportunistic infections ("OIs") such as antibiotics, antifungals, other antivirals (e.g., for herpes infections) and anti-neoplastics (e.g., for HIV-associated malignancies). Other medicines include those used for HIV wasting disease and side-effects management (e.g., for peripheral neuropathy, lipid lowering drugs, anti-emetics).
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3. Does the U.S. government allow donated drugs to be sent abroad?

All donated medications are distributed outside the United States as humanitarian aid. For more information, see the World Health Organization's "Guideline for Drug Donations" at: Department of Essential Drugs and Other Medicines, World Health Organization, 1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland.
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4. Does AFA accept medications past their expiration date?

In 1996 The World Health Organization urged countries to refuse free drugs that didn't have at least a year left before expiration.

Despite the fact that there exists a large body of investigatory evidence supporting the continued safety and quality assurance of all but a select few exceptional medicines, it is currently AFA's policy not to accept medicines past their expiration date. For more information, see HYPERLINK "http://72.167.16.66/pressroom/press20.php""Do Medications Really Expire?" in our Press Room or Laurie Cohen's report in the 03/29/00 Wall Street Journal where she noted that: "Most drugs the Food and Drug Administration retests for the U.S. military prove safe and potent long past their expiration dates."
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5. Do I need to do anything to the bottles before I send them?

To comply with applicable legal structures 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.

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. Please: no loose capsules or tablets should be present in the plastic bag or box!
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6. What if the medicine requires refrigeration?

Three of the protease inhibitors, as well as Fuzeon, require refrigeration:
Fortovase (soft-gel saquinavir)
Kaletra (lopinavir/ritonavir) capsules
Norvir (ritonavir) capsules
Fuzeon (enfurtivide/T-20)

Please promptly refrigerate these medications once in your possession and keep them refrigerated until the day they are shipped.
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7. I live or work in the New York City area. What is the best way to get the medicines to you?

If you live in the New York metropolitan area, you can drop medications off at one of our NYC drop-off sites:
SOHO/Tribeca
Aid for AIDS
515 Greenwich Street #506
(Closest corner is Hudson and Spring)

Subway directions: Closest subway is #1/9 train to Houston Street stop or E/C train to Spring Street stop

West Village
Lesbian and Gay Community Center
208 West 13th Street
(Between 7th and 8th Avenues)
Leave box at front desk at main entrance

Subway directions: Closest subway is 14th Street stop on #1/9/2/3 and A/C/E train to 14th Street stop.

Chelsea
Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC)
119 West 24th Street Ð 7th Floor
(Between 6th and 7th Avenues)
Leave with/for Fausto Paez

Subway directions: Closest station is 23rd Street stop on B/D/F/V trains (and PATH) or 1/9 train.

If you need to arrange for a pick-up, please call or e-mail us to arrange for a pick-up. (We usually make pick-ups every other Friday).

Telephone: (212) 337-8043 extension 25
E-mail: HYPERLINK "mailto:info@aidforaids.org"info@aidforaids.org
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8. I live outside the New York City area. What is the best way to get the medicines to you?

For medicine donations outside of the New York City area, please ship all medications via U.S. mail (or any other carrier you wish to choose) directly to our New York City office:
AID FOR AIDS International
120 Wall Street 26th Floor
New York, NY 10005
(212) 337-8043 ext. 25

If you are sending cold-storage medicines, please send these medications Priority Next Day Air in order to keep the medication from deteriorating. (It's okay to put both cold-stored and non-cold-stored medications into the same box for shipping.) No dry ice or cold packs are required for Cold Stored medications.
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9. What if I cannot afford to send you the medications I have?

We can also arrange for United Parcel Service (UPS) to pick up boxes of 5 lbs or more if you or your organization is not able to absorb the cost of shipment.

If you need to arrange a United Parcel Service (UPS) pick-up, please call our office (212-337-8043 extension 25) so that we can make the necessary arrangements for you.
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Send the medications by regular mail or ground service to: AID FOR AIDS International
Recycling Program
120 Wall Street 26th Floor
New York, NY 10005

Still have questions?

If you have additional questions about how to make your donation, please click in (FAQs about Donating Medicine to Aid for AIDS) or take a moment to fill out this form completely. This information will be used to contact you to ask you more detailed information about your donation or answer your questions.

Donate Meds Contact Form

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