THREE tons of medicine is thrown away in Pembrokeshire each year at a cost of £600,000.

The waste, which is equivalent to 95 heart by-pass operations or 150 hip replacements, is 63% higher than in both Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion.

Now, the Local Health Board has launched a campaign to reduce the amount of waste by 80% over the next two years.

Board chairman Chris Martin said: "More than three tons of medicine is put in the bin each and every year. It is money that is simply being thrown away and the Local Health Board has a duty to tackle the issue".

Last year, more than £18 million was spent on medicine in the county - equivalent to £150 for every resident.

Much of the problem comes from poor repeat prescribing methods and people hoarding unused medicines at home.

"We want doctors to review their repeat prescribing procedures to make sure they are not giving patients drugs they no longer need and we also want patients to receive a regular medication review from a health professional," said Don Wilkes, assistant pharmaceutical and prescribing manager.

Mr Wilkes also said it was important to ensure patients did not automatically re-order all medicines on a repeat prescription whether they had run out or not.

"Patients should always check the medicines they have at home, only order what they need and tell their surgery if they no longer need a medicine on their list," he added.