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Prescrire's review of drug packaging in 2023: reconciling ease of use with safety is an ongoing challenge

Drug packaging can be considered high quality if it makes the drug safer and easy to use, and if it is designed to protect people who come into contact with the patient from the risk of poisoning, especially children.
Full article (4 pages) available for download (free)

Prescrire examined the packaging of about 220 medicinal products in 2023. As in previous years, we noted recurrent flaws, but also a few positive developments.

If patients are to be clearly informed about their drug treatments, the international nonproprietary name (INN) of the active substance or substances present must be easily identifiable on each packaging component.

In France, pharmaceutical companies must display a warning pictogram on the packaging of teratogenic or fetotoxic drugs, but the chosen pictogram does not always afford sufficient protection to women who are or could become pregnant.

A QR code was printed on the box and patient leaflet of certain products, providing access to additional information and videos, published online. This online content highlights certain precautions or adverse effects, but it must not replace the more comprehensive information provided in the patient leaflet or the essential information printed on the packaging.

Ease of use is a crucial aspect of drug packaging, as it helps ensure that the drug is used effectively, appropriately and safely. For certain injectable drugs, several injections are required in order to administer the full dose, which is both uncomfortable and inconvenient.

Packaging also plays a crucial role in reducing the risk of errors associated with drug administration. The presence of empty blisters in a blister pack can confuse patients and their caregivers. The drug's dose strength must be clearly identifiable to reduce the risk of wrong-dose errors.

Some products are authorised for paediatric use, but are not marketed in a form suitable for young children. A few products were improved to reduce the risk of children accessing dangerous substances, for example by no longer marketing tablets in a multidose bottle, or by adding a child-­resistant film to a blister pack, a child­-resistant cap to a bottle, or a lock­out system on a nasal spray.

©Prescrire 1 September 2024

Source: "Prescrire's review of drug packaging in 2023: reconciling ease of use with safety is an ongoing challenge" Prescrire Int 2024; 33 (262): 219-222. Free.

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