Medication Repository Program Gets Meds to Uninsured, Underinsured

June 8, 2023

Many Americans, including Minnesotans, skip doses or ration medications due to their high costs. To address this issue, states across the country have funded medication repository programs, which take in unused medications for redistribution.   

Since late 2020, Minnesota’s medication repository program (MRP), administered by RoundtableRx, has supplied 30,270 days of medications to Minnesotans. 

Each donated product undergoes a rigorous quality and safety inspection by a pharmacist before being accepted for inventory. Clinics and pharmacies then order inventory from the MRP to dispense to under-resourced Minnesotans at little to no-cost. 

Since its inception, RoundtableRx has been operating under a pharmacy wholesale license, which enables them to redistribute medications through partnerships with clinics and pharmacies. These partner sites assume the role of dispensing repository medications to patients in need. 

RoundtableRX’s medications are reserved for Minnesota residents who are uninsured or ‘underinsured.’ Because their inventory fluctuates, RoundtableRx is intended as a safety net program for affordable medications during challenging times (coverage lapse, Medicare ‘donut hole’, etc.), or for patients that do not qualify for insurance. 

Prescribers and pharmacists interested in accessing these medications for their patients can learn how to on the RoundtableRX website.