Frequently Asked Questions
How do I donate unused ARV medications?
Is the Starfish Project legal?
Do you accept opened bottles?
How do you ensure the confidentiality of donors?
How are the medications tested to ensure authenticity?
Which medications do you collect?
Do you collect non-ARV medications?
Do you accept medical supplies or equipment?
Where do the medications go?
What is the Starfish Project?
Why is it called The Starfish Project?
Who founded the project and why?
Why does the Starfish Project only work in Nigeria?
Why do you send drugs to Africa instead of the US?
What happens if you do not collect enough medications?
How is your project different from other HIV/AIDS organizations?
Why haven’t I heard of The Starfish Project before?
How many people does The Starfish Project help?
Are drug donations tax deductible? Do we provide receipts?
How can I get involved?
How do I donate unused ARV medications?
The Starfish Project pays for all shipping costs of medications. We provide pre-paid FedEx labels to our donors. Send donations to:
The Starfish Project
Center for Special Studies
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital
119 West 24 Street
New York, NY 10011
For more information, go to: Donating Medication
Is the Starfish Project legal?
There is no express prohibition on the charitable redistribution of prescription medications outside of the United States. The Starfish Project complies with the World Health Organization’s Guidelines for Drug Donations. As recent AP/New York Times article highlighted, “Giving away leftover pills to individual Americans is against U.S. law, but medicine can be donated to designated nonprofit groups for shipping out of the country as humanitarian aid” (6/12/04).
Yes. Most medications sent to the Starfish Project have already been opened. The pills are counted and sometimes combined with pills from other bottles with the same expiration date to make a full month’s dose.
How do you ensure the confidentiality of donors?
The prescription labels on all bottles are removed before being shipped.
How are the medications tested to ensure authenticity?
Upon receipt, all medications are sorted by expiration date. Expired drugs are disposed of properly. Any drugs that cannot be identified by expiration date – shipped in unmarked bottles, in plastic bags, or in bottles with many different types of pills – are also disposed of properly.
Each pill is counted by hand, and examined by trained volunteers who are familiar with the look and weight of each type of pill we collect. Pills that are discolored, bad-smelling, changed in form or shape (i.e., melted, frozen, disintegrated, etc.) are also discarded. The prescription label on each bottle of medication is removed to ensure confidentiality. The medications are sent directly to trained health care professionals who monitor the patients for proper use.
Which medications do you collect?
We collect all Antiretroviral (ARV) medications, including Protease Inhibitors (PIs), Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NRTIs) and Non-Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NNRTIs). No expired drugs please.
We currently are not able to ship Fuzeon to Nigeria. If you have Fuzeon to donate, please contact us to be referred to another organization that needs it.
Do you collect non-ARV medications?
Yes, we also collect medications that can be used to treat opportunistic infections, such as:
Antifungals/Antimycotics (such as Fluconazole, Mycelex, Sporanox)
Antivirals (such as Acyclovir, Famciclovir, Valacyclovir)
Antibiotics (such as Ciprofloxacin, Amoxicillin, Metronidazole)
TB Drugs (such as Rifampin)
Others: Bactrim, Dapsone, Sulfadiazine, Pyrimethamine, etc.
Before sending us medications, please check our Non-ARV Drug Formulary (PDF document) to see if we can use it.
Do you accept medical supplies or equipment?
The Starfish Project sends small amount of basic medical supplies to our partner clinics. These might include latex gloves or syringes. If you have items you would like to donate, please contact us before sending them. We do not accept items such as wheelchairs, walkers, commodes, etc.
If you are in New York City and have equipment you would like to donate, visit the New York City's website New Homes for Old Stuff. This website has recommendations for donating all types of items. To donate medical equipment in your neighborhood, call 1-877-NYC-STUFF.
Once collected, the medications are sorted, counted, recorded, and placed into the New York inventory. Medications are stored at the appropriate temperature until shipped. No expired medications are accepted or shipped to Nigeria.
Each month a shipment is prepared and sent to our two partner sites in Nigeria, both of which are clinics housed at government teaching hospitals. The medications are sorted and stored by the hospital staff. ARV therapy is managed by clinicians that have been trained by the New York clinical team.
Please go to About the Starfish Project>>
Why is it called The Starfish Project?
The Starfish Project’s name is derived from the book ‘The Star Thrower’ by Loren Eisley. The story summarized below inspires us that in the global fight against HIV/AIDS, every action no matter how small can make a difference.
One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a figure in the distance. As he got closer, he realized the figure was that of a little boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean. Approaching the boy, he asked, "What are you doing?"
The boy replied, "I’m saving the starfish. The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them back, they'll die."
"Son," the man said, "don't you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of thousands of starfish? There are too many, you can't possibly make a difference!"
After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the surf. Then, smiling at the man, he said, "I just made a difference for that one."
Who founded the project and why?
Please go to History of the Starfish Project >>
Why does the Starfish Project only work in Nigeria?
The Starfish Project’s relationship with our partner sites in Nigeria began very informally almost by chance, and over time developed into something more. Although we would very much like to expand our operations, supporting patients on ARV therapy is a life-long commitment. We are limited in the number of people we can support because we depend solely on the donation of unused ARV medications that we then send to our partners in Nigeria. These medications that would otherwise go to waste are used to train local health professionals, in addition to saving the lives of their patients who cannot afford this precious treatment.
In Nigeria, the estimated HIV prevalence rate is 5.8%, out of a total population of over 120 million (UNAIDS). Although this prevalence rate seems low, since Nigeria is the largest country in Africa, that means that over 6 million Nigerians are living with HIV – a larger HIV population than any other African country. This not to say that any developing country is more or less important or in greater need of help. The founding principle of the Starfish Project is that in the global fight against HIV/AIDS, every little bit of support can help save the life of at least one more human being.
Why do you send drugs to Africa instead of the US?
In the US, it is illegal to transfer a prescription drug from one person to another. Once prescribed, a bottle of ARV medication must either be used by the person for whom it was prescribed, or be thrown away. Many people who are HIV-positive end up switching their medication due to side-effects or other reasons, leaving them with unused bottles of pills. These medications cannot legally be given to another person in the US, so the Starfish Project collects them and ships them to Nigeria, where access to ARV medication is very limited.
What happens if you do not collect enough medications?
The Starfish Project is committed to supplying medications indefinitely and without interruption for patients once they are started on treatment. We only start a new patient on therapy when we have at least a six month supply of medications in our inventory. If we are ever short on a specific medication, we purchase it in Nigeria.
How is your project different from other HIV/AIDS organizations?
The Starfish Project began as a drugs salvage program, collecting unused HIV medications for use in settings without access to ARV treatment. This effort spawned a more comprehensive partnership with two teams of health care providers in Nigeria, where we work in collaboration to provide care, utilizing ARV therapy, to approximately 70 HIV+ individuals. The impact of the clinical care reaches beyond these individuals – indeed, the availability of treatment has acted as a catalyst for other HIV/AIDS education and outreach efforts. For instance, a small support group of 3 persons has grown into a monthly meeting of over 70 people, offering a space for patient education, peer-peer counseling and emotional support. In addition, the Starfish Project is dedicated to strengthening the capacity of our Nigerian partners to offer top-rate comprehensive HIV/AIDS care. This goal is achieved through provider education and the contribution of materials like diagnostic equipment, physical infrastructure support, and, at heart, the HIV medications themselves (including drugs to fight opportunistic infections). The Starfish Project provides a one-month training to Nigerian professionals – including nurses, doctors, and laboratory scientists – and supports continuing education through on-site follow-up and ongoing communications about patient care. By strengthening this knowledge base, the Starfish Project is helping to cultivate a cadre of dedicated HIV/AIDS practitioners who will lead in their country’s fight against the AIDS crisis.
Why haven’t I heard of The Starfish Project before?
The Starfish Project is a small grass-roots treatment initiative. Instead of publicizing our work to the general public, we mostly target our outreach efforts to other HIV clinics like the Center for Special Studies at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and to their clients. Unlike larger HIV/AIDS organizations that may have funds for advertising and public relations or more staff, we depend on word of mouth and a cadre of dedicated volunteers to help complete our work.
How many people does The Starfish Project help?
This question can be answered in a number of ways.
The Starfish Project currently supports 70+ patients on ARV therapy using donated HIV medications. During the course of four years, about 185 people have directly benefited from the ARV medications supplied through the program.
In addition to the ARV medications, The Starfish Project collects vitamins, nutritional supplements and medications to treat opportunistic infections. These resources have contributed to the healthful living of many other people seen at the clinic sites.
The Starfish Project has other programs in addition to collecting and redistributing unused medications. We train and educate health care providers in HIV care and in the management of ARV therapy. This investment in health care providers has long-standing and far-reaching impact – these clinicians will continue to treat people living with HIV, and will continue to develop their skills in HIV care. Moreover, as educators in their home communities, the clinicians pass on their knowledge to peers and students in the academic medical community.
Finally, people on this side of the Atlantic – meaning the United States – also benefit by participating in the Starfish Project. Drug donors, both individuals and service providers, consistently remark on how grateful they feel to have a concrete way to make a difference. The global AIDS crisis is immense, and people often feel paralyzed by its magnitude. Drug donations are a simple, but effective and immediate form of action. It is powerful to know that the drugs you donate are directly responsible for keeping people alive on the other side of the ocean.
Similarly, health care providers in the US feel impotent in the face of an epidemic which, while controllable in our country, is decimating whole nations in other parts of the world. Through The Starfish Project, HIV clinicians here can share their knowledge with colleagues overseas, and in so doing, play a small part in building an effective response to the global AIDS crisis.
Are drug donations tax deductible? Do we provide receipts?
While we always provide letters thanking you for your kindness and generosity, we cannot affix a price to drug donations and are therefore unable to determine whether or not such tax deductions are possible. If you would like more information, please see your CPA for further instructions and advice.
If you are interested in volunteering with The Starfish Project, please email us at info@thestarfishproject.org with "volunteering" in the subject line. Newcomers are always welcome!