From Dr M.-L. Truong, MRPharmS
If child-resistant packaging is important for medicines sold in the UK, then it would be more efficient to have them packaged at the factory, instead of relying on pharmacists to transfer medicines into bottles with child-resistant closures (CRCs).
Blister packs and sachets should be used because they are superior to CRC bottles. They cannot be left open by mistake, each dose is individually protected, and their content cannot be accidentally spilt. For those that are hard to open, all one needs is a pair of scissors.
Antibiotics in powder form would benefit from being packaged in sachets. They are easy to carry around, there is no need to store them in the refrigerator until reconstitution so the whole treatment can be dispensed at one time, ensuring better compliance.
I have seen many dispensaries where medicines in original packs were being transferred into generic tablet bottles because the manufacturer’s lid was not deemed child-resistant enough. This is a waste of time and there is the risk of losing the batch number and the expiry date of the medicine.
M.-L. Truong
Coventry
Pfizer’s new packaging to be applauded
From Dr C. F. Green, MRPharmS
I have previously written to the PJ (PJ, 1 April 2006, p383) in which I criticised the release of another blue and white box from Pfizer and observed that this use of a single corporate style increased the risk of dispensing errors. In a subsequent and related letter (PJ, 15 April 2006, p440), I also observed that this had also led to prescribing errors.
I was, therefore, heartened to see the new packaging from Pfizer, which appears to be well designed. I am sure that, for a company of Pfizer’s size and complexity, this has not been a simple task, and I applaud Pfizer for its efforts. I trust that other manufacturers that still persist with a limited corporate image will take note.
Chris Green
Wirral, Merseyside
Safer packaging
From Mr A. M. F. O. El-Dabbagh, MRPharmS
Appropriate packaging of medicines is important in reducing dispensing errors and enhances patient safety.
I was pleased to read in the PJ about Pfizer’s overhaul of Lipitor packaging design to meet safety guidance. One of the most common reasons for dispensing error is the poor packaging of medicines, either the colour or the print on the pack. It is time to find a way to reduce the likelihood of confusion in picking up the right medicine from the shelf.
It would be a big step forward in helping to reduce dispensing errors if there was a system to ensure unity of packaging colour and print to every medicine. Perhaps something like the one applied for warfarin tablets, where pink packaging represents 5mg strength, blue 3mg and brown 1mg. Another example is the blue salbutamol inhaler as a reliever and the brown beclometasone inhaler as a preventer.
Perhaps certain national codes, representing its clinical use, could be printed on the package, such as “Depn” for depression or “Epi” for epilepsy.
Ahmed El-DabbaghWickford, Essex