Protecting Children, Families, and Pets: Disposal of Unused Prescription Drugs

The Challenge

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 100,000 people in the United States die from drug overdoses each year, with opioids involved in roughly three-quarters of these cases. Many Americans keep prescription pills, patches, and syrups in their nightstands and medicine cabinets, where they can be accidentally ingested by family members and pets—leading to unintentional poisoning and other tragic outcomes. To address this issue, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sought to raise public awareness about the dangers of keeping unused opioids by promoting safe opioid disposal options anyone can access.

Our Solution

IQ Solutions partnered with FDA to research, develop, launch, and promote Remove the Risk, a comprehensive public education campaign that included public service advertising, digital marketing, earned and social media, partner engagement, and product development. We strategically targeted “sandwich generation” women—mothers, grandmothers, and caregivers ages 35 to 64—who typically manage family health care decisions and serve as primary gatekeepers to prescription opioids in the home.

The Impact

The campaign generated more than 45 million impressions and nearly $800,000 in donated media within its first 45 days. Throughout the first year, video and radio public service announcements aired more than 240,000 times across 16,000+ U.S. markets, delivering an estimated 1.8 billion impressions and $36 million in ad value. A national radio media tour featuring FDA leadership reached more than 17 million listeners through nearly 23,000 airings on major stations in key states. Additionally, a stakeholder teleconference and a Reddit “Ask Me Anything” event enhanced health care provider engagement and raised awareness about options for safe drug disposal.