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Labelling

Does one label the medicines container or its package?

From Mr K. T. Farrar, MRPharmS, and Ms J. Orton, MRPharmS

We write to stimulate debate regarding the labelling of dispensed medicinal products — does one label the container or its package?

The Medicines (Labelling) Regulations 1976 state that the container of a medicinal product shall be labelled as does, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's 'Medicines Ethics and Practice' guide (edition 24, p11).

We appreciate that labelling the container is useful as patients often throw the packaging away and then have no record of how to use the product. However, we feel that the above advantage is outweighed by practical problems such as flag-labelling eye-drops and nose drops, which impairs patients’ ability to use these products. We would appreciate hearing what others feel is the most appropriate way of labelling.

Keith Farrar
Chief Pharmacist

Julie Orton
Principal Pharmacist,
Wirral Hospital
Upton
Wirral
Merseyside L49 5PE

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