The Pharmaceutical Journal Vol 266 No 7149 p718-722
May 26, 2001

  RPM
  Packaging
  Disillusioned youth
  GlaxoSmithKline
  Interactions
  Travel medicine
  Seprate register
  Code of Ethics

Packaging

Ridiculous and totally unprofessional

From Mr R. Underhill, MRPharmS

Referring to the letter under vinca alkaloids (PJ, April 14, p506) and the leading article (PJ, April 21, p525), modern packaging has a lot to answer for.

In the late 1950s, when I studied pharmacy, packaging was one of the subjects covered in pharmaceutics, and one of the stipulations was that it should be patient friendly, ie, easily identified and practical to open.

Since the advent of patient packs, matters have deteriorated and become ridiculous and totally unprofessional — not only for the patient but for the pharmacist and technicians who have to locate and dispense them especially in a very busy pharmacy.

As an example, we had three drugs beginning with “A” in idential colour boxes, pink and white and with some strengths the same, obviously all close together and from the same manufacturer. When the orders are unpacked, there is a danger that they are placed in the wrong section, which could lead to incorrect selection or just selected incorrectly by association with colour and strength instead of name and strength.

There is one drug, warfarin, which is colour coded pink 5g, blue 3g and brown 1g. As we all know, there used to be others. I now have in stock boxes of warfarin 1mg in blue boxes; turquoise boxes and blue boxes labelled 3mg; red boxes, pink and white boxes and brown boxes containing 5mg.

This is one example, but along with all the others we are sitting on a time bomb and it is extremely confusing for patients, especially the elderly and/or those with poor sight. We cannot guarantee supplies from one manufacturer and the patient may go to another pharmacy and receive a different brand.

I have just been asked if the Serevent inhaler just dispensed is correct because it is in a blue box, not turquoise. Same manufacturer but a European pack — why?

Regarding vinca alkaloids in hospital, what about red for danger where appropriate? The Medicine Control Agency does need to take a more active role in the development of packaging liveries, that work alongside the proposed national patient safety agency, and an international system needs to be devised.

R. Underhill
Hedge End, Southampton

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