The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 269 No 7223 p675
9 November 2002

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Letters to the Editor

Patient packs

What are we playing at?

From Mr S. F. Freeborn, MRPharmS

I am writing in support of C. Morris's slightly tongue-in-cheek letter, "Are we really behind Europe" (PJ, 2 November, p644). I have been fortunate enough to visit several community pharmacy businesses in Germany and was interested to see the wide range of pack sizes of commonly used medicines that were available. There was no question of the narrow range that we have. I asked where the brown plastic bottles with child resistant closures were and where were the large pots of tablets that needed to be counted into the plastic bottles. It was as if I had asked a nonsensical question. "Why would you do this? Isn't it dangerous to transfer from one container to another?", was the reply. They only use patient packs with included patient information leaflets. I also asked where the scissors were to cut up the strips, again I was looked at with incredulity. I came away from that trip wondering what on earth we are playing at in the United Kingdom.

Stephen Freeborn
Bolton, Lancashire

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