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Prescrire's 2007 Packaging Awards:
good news and bad news

Good packaging is essential for a drug's correct use.

A drug's packaging is composed of the outer box, the primary internal packaging (bottle, blister pack, sachet, tube, syringe, etc.) and the patient leaflet. Packaging quality is a vital factor in safety, convenience and patient information.

Throughout the year, Prescrire's team evaluates the packaging of all new drugs in France.

Prescrire's Packaging Awards draw caregivers' and patients' attention to the fact that quality packaging is essential for safe and effective treatment, and highlight the risks associated with poor-quality packaging. They are also an opportunity to promote the efforts of companies that design patient-friendly packaging, and to encourage other manufacturers to follow suit.

In 2007, the overall quality of drug packaging improved slightly. But medication errors with sometimes severe consequences still do occur as a result of poor packaging, especially in the fields of paediatric drugs and self-medication.

Prescrire awarded 1 Packaging Award for excellent packaging design well-suited to paediatric use.

2 Yellow Cards and 7 Red Cards named and shamed poor packaging that could lead to serious accidents.

Details of Prescrire's 2007 Packaging Awards are available online at www.prescrire.org.

©Prescrire February 2008

Source: "Le Palmarès 2007 du conditionnement" Rev Prescrire 2008 ; 28 (292) : 86.

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