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2016 drug packaging review: too much focus on marketing rather than patient safety

Drug packaging (packets, vials, patient leaflets, etc.) is important for the proper use of medicines and the prevention of adverse effects. Drug regulatory agencies do not place enough emphasis on patient protection

A medicinal product's packaging must enable it to be used safely in all contexts. When well designed, it can lead to therapeutic progress. But Prescrire’s analysis of the packaging of several thousand drugs over the years reveals the same cause for concern each time: there are many technical solutions available for quality packaging, but they are rarely implemented.

In 2016, the Prescrire team examined the packaging of some 250 products. Once again, these analyses highlight numerous shortcomings which can result in medication errors with sometimes severe consequences: promotional labels with too little information about safe use; inaccurate or even dangerous dosage devices; bottles of toxic substances without a child-proof cap; not enough information on adverse effects in the patient leaflet.

The International Nonproprietary Name (INN), the drug’s real name, is not prominent enough on labelling, which makes it difficult to identify the drug's composition. Umbrella brands (which use the same name for different drugs) are an outrageous example, with the risk of confusion between two drugs of different compositions.

On the positive side, the French Health Products Agency (ANSM) has published recommendations on the quality of dosing devices: this is potential sources of progress, subject to the recommendations being implemented and evaluated in the context of routine care.

©Prescrire 1 June 2017

"Drug packaging in 2016: marketing takes precedence over public health" Prescrire Int 2017; 26 (183): 161-165. (Pdf, free).
Download the full review.
Pdf, free

See also:

The Prescrire Packaging
Awards for 2016
(February 2017)
Free