Medication safety doesn’t end at administration.
But most workflows still treat it that way.
A new approach to controlled substance waste handling—designed for the OR and anesthesia workspace at the point of care.
2026 TAG Award Winner — Medication Safety & Compliance Innovation
A Step That Still Happens After the Case
Controlled substance waste and reconciliation remain one of the most persistent challenges in perioperative care.
In many environments:
- Waste is documented separately from administration
- Reconciliation happens later—often requiring reconstruction
- Visibility for pharmacy is delayed
- Processes vary across providers and cases
Designed to Work Where Care Happens
The Safe Waste System™ (SWS) is an FDA-listed, Class I Exempt device (spectrophotometer for pharmaceutical analysis) designed for the operating room and anesthesia workspace at the point of care.
Rather than introducing additional steps, SWS is designed to operate within the clinical workflow—supporting clinicians in the moment while capturing the data needed for documentation and reconciliation.
What SWS Does
- Identify liquid controlled substance waste
- Measure volume during the waste process
- Perform spectrophotometric analysis to confirm drug identity and concentration
- Capture data to support documentation and reconciliation workflows
- Record each waste event, including required witness information
Why It Matters
For Anesthesia
- Supports workflow at the point of care
- Reduces the need for post-case reconstruction
- Designed to operate without interrupting the next case
For Pharmacy
- Provides timely visibility into waste events
- Supports chain of custody documentation
- Enables more efficient reconciliation processes
Recognized for Real-World Impact
The Safe Waste System™ (SWS) was named a 2026 TAG Award Winner for its ability to address a longstanding challenge in healthcare while remaining intuitive and practical to use.
Judges recognized the system for:
- Reducing administrative burden
- Supporting compliance and documentation processes
- Providing a practical approach to reconciliation
- Delivering meaningful impact through simplicity
Codonics has developed an intuitive, user-friendly system that alleviates a significant administrative burden for clinicians and healthcare administrators. By streamlining documentation, tracking, and compliance processes, it helps reduce the risk of errors and potential associated liabilities.
– TAG Awards Judge
A Perspective on What This Means
This recognition reflects our commitment to solving real-world challenges in clinical environments. SWS was designed to support both anesthesia providers and pharmacy teams by bringing greater clarity and efficiency to controlled substance waste workflows—without adding complexity.
– Peter Botten, President & CEO, Codonics
Part of a Connected Perioperative Workflow
The Safe Waste System™ (SWS) is designed to operate in conjunction with the Codonics Safe Label System® (SLS), an “FDA-cleared” Class II medical device that supports medication safety during preparation and labeling.
At administration, SLS-WAVE enables documentation of medications into AIMS/EHR (e.g. Epic | Cerner) systems as part of the clinical workflow.
Together, these complementary technologies support:
Preparation (SLS) → Administration (SLS-WAVE) → Waste & Data for Reconciliation (SWS)
See How It Fits Into Your Workflow
This isn’t about adding complexity.
It’s about aligning with how care is already delivered.
SWS is FDA listed; release and distribution expected fourth quarter 2026.
For more information about the Safe Waste System, visit here.
