From Mr J. E. Green, MRPharmS
SIR,-Since when have dispensed medicines been required to show batch numbers and expiry dates? That is the implication contained in the Statutory Committee report in The Journal of December 4, 1999, (pp896-7).
I refer to the section headed "Loss of trust", and I quote: "The committee said that its concern about the dispensing of fluoxetine instead of paroxetine was hugely increased by the fact that the capsules were in four separate cut strips each missing a batch number and/or an expiry date. Batch numbers were there to identify the medication should anything turn out wrong, and expiry dates were there to ensure that the medicine supplied would be of proper quality and efficacy." Further, it said that "the four [cut] strips had all been ‘middle bits', but in such a situation it was better to discard the middle bits rather than jeopardise the patient".
This causes me concern because I have not been rigorously observing such practice, because of the extra work it would entail in current circumstances and because I would seem to have missed something.
I have scoured the Code of Ethics and practice advice without seeing any corroborating clause, and would therefore be grateful if the appropriate department of the Society would provide an explanation for the committee's statement.
I happen currently to be dispensing a daily instalment prescription for one fluoxetine capsule 20mg, and shall be interested to know if I am now required to include the relevant batch number and expiry date on each day's pack. (Dispensing a complete blister strip is, of course, contrary to the terms of the prescription.)
Frankly, I consider the committee's comments on this particular point to be misguided. They will have caused confusion to many, as they have done to me, and I feel that some clarification is necessary.
James Green
Perth
Mrs SUSAN SHARPE (director of professional standards, Royal Pharmaceutical Society) replies: The Statutory Committee inquiry reported in the PJ on December 4, 1999, concerned a number of issues of poor professional practice. The supply of fluoxetine against a prescription requesting paroxetine was only one of three dispensing errors which the chairman said "in aggregate amounted to serious professional misconduct" which, had they come to the committee as three errors in a single notice of inquiry, would have merited a reprimand.
The chairman in his decision was emphasising the importance of providing information on batch numbers and expiry dates on dispensed medicines to the general public. The public is now better informed in relation to issues concerning health and, in accordance with government policy, is increasingly encouraged to take more responsibility for their own health care. They should be in a position to be able to check the expiry of their medicine and feel confident that the product dispensed is still in date.