PJ Online | PJ Letters | Returned medicines

Home > PJ (current issue) > Letters | Search

The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 273 No 7319 p466
2 October 2004

This article
Reprint Photocopy

PDF 80K, Acrobat Reader

Letters

· Personal control
· Cholesterol testing
· Charitable donations
· Returned medicines
· Dispensing
· The profession
· The Society
· The Charter
· Retention fee

Letters to the Editor

Returned medicines

Is there evidence for the Society’s policy?

From Dr G. W. J. Olivier, MRPharmS

We live increasingly in an evidence-based practice profession. In response to the Broad spectrum article (PJ, 18 September, p378) could I ask for the evidence that demonstrates that once medicines have been stored in a domestic environment their quality is compromised? Is the policy of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society on reissue of medicines based on hypothesis only or is there published scientific evidence that the quality of blister-packed, clearly identified, batch-numbered and expiry-dated products stored for a short time in a patient’s home is compromised?

G. W. J. Olivier
Senior Lecturer in Pharmaceutical Sciences
University of Brighton

SUE KILBY, head of practice, Royal Pharmaceutical Society, states:

There is published evidence to show that inappropriate storage in a person’s home does affect medicines. Carbamazepine, for example, could lose one third of its effectiveness if it is stored in humid conditions (such as exist in most bathrooms). It is for this reason that the Society's policy is not to reissue medicine returned to a pharmacy to another patient.

In many hospitals the policy now is on admission to continue to use patients’ own medicines providing they are checked by someone who is properly trained. If the person checking the medicines is unhappy about their condition for any reason then they should be discarded and, if required, a new supply issued for the patient.

Reference

1. Moisture hardens carbamazepine tablets, FDA finds. American Journal of Hospital Pharmacy 1990;47:958.

Send your letter to The Editor

Previous Topic (Charitable donations)
Next Topic (Dispensing)