The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 274 No 7343 p391
2 April 2005

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· Anticoagulation services
· RFID tagging
· Repeat dispensing (2)
· Council election (5)
· PI insurance (2)
· Generics
· Prescription charges
· Medicines for children
· The Society
· CPD
· The register (2)
· The Journal (2)

Letters to the Editor

Generics

When will generics manufacturers help pharmacists?

From Mr I. Morgan, MRPharmS

When will someone have the authority to police generics manufacturers? The rINN names for a large range of drugs have now been available for over a year. We, as community pharmacists, have been duly labelling our dispensed medicines with these new names since their introduction, and even doctors’ software has been updated. But what happens? The prescription and the label state, for example, “bendroflumethiazide” and the box states, in large letters, “bendrofluazide”. Admittedly, some manufacturers have added the INN name somewhere on the packet in small letters, but these are the exception. The other day, a patient said the he did not want bendroflumethiazide as he got on much better with bendrofluazide.

When are these companies going to realise that community pharmacies use the same size labels when over-labelling their products? Those that do provide a “space for dispensing label” range from those that ensure the space is standard label size — 7cm x 3.5cm (the sublime) through 6 x 3cm and 3 x 2cm — to, my favourite, 3cm x 1.2cm (the ridiculous).

Finally, when labelling most patient packs we find ourselves obscuring at least one important piece of information which the company has taken the trouble to print on the pack.

Ian Morgan
Hinckley, Leicestershire

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