Drugs that have not been administered and have been stockpiled in households represent a medical, professional, and ecological problem. The present paper analyses and evaluates these drugs from qualitative, quantitative, and financial aspects. The material under study consisted of drugs returned to one pharmacy within a period of 1.5 months (April-May) in the year 1999. Out of set I (1 091 packages), 721 packages (66.1 %) were used and 370 (33.9 %) packages were original, i.e. unused. The expiration period was over in 78.3 %, 16.8 % could still be used, and in 4.9 % it was impossible to determine their expiration period. The value of the returned drugs was 76 000 Czech crowns.

        Key words: unused drugs - analysis