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Drugs packaging: all too often ignored

The quality of drugs packaging, too often ignored by pharmaceutical companies and drug regulatory agencies, fluctuates from one extreme to the other.

2004 again saw an increase in the number of bulk bottles, which entail the risk of patients ingesting large quantities. More than 90% of oral forms (capsules, tablets) examined by Prescrire in 2004 were in non unit dose blister packs, which do not make it possible to identify each unit dose after it has been removed. Multidose medicines in drinkable form offer dose flexibility, but this is of no use unless the dispensing device is precise. But the majority of dispensing devices are imprecise. No overall improvement in patient leaflets was noted in 2004. Examples of informative, coherent leaflets are rare and probably the result of pressure from motivated patient groups. In general, drug regulatory agencies do not pay enough attention to packaging, even though it is vital for the correct use of drugs. The forthcoming application of an EU directive which makes provision for some improvements to packaging should spur drug regulatory agencies to be more exacting.

©Prescrire February 2005

Source: "Conditionnement des médicaments : le dernier des soucis des agences du médicament" Rev Prescrire 2005 ; 25 (258) : 147. - More articles in Prescrire's "Spotlight"...