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Letters to the Editor
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Best use of medicines
Challenges for the elderly
From Mr J. B. Spark
As I age I am becoming less dextrous, I have decreased mental acuity and
I am taking more medicines. The pharmaceutical industry, it seems, conspires
to make my shortcomings cause me difficulties. Let us examine the problems
as I encounter them.
What have I been given? The pharmacist covers the carefully designed medicine
packaging with a label printed with my name, address, and the name of the
medicine, but which is less legible than the original. Have I got what
I was expecting? Is the gabapentin I have this month the same medicine
as the Neurontin I had last month? Can I get at it? Blister packs are not
made for stiffening, clumsy fingers.
Do the cocktails of tablets I prepare for myself each night and morning
have to look so confusingly different in colour and shape from day to day?
I am still able to cope with these pitfalls but foresee the time when I
will not be so fortunate. These problems affect most of us as we age. However,
as an industrial chemist, with a lifetime spent on the development of manufacturing
processes for drug substances, I turn to the industry for help. I understand
the differences between an original product and its generic counterpart;
I realise that manufacturers demand latitude in product presentation, but
should these factors be allowed to risk such dangerous consequences for
the vulnerable?
There is a real and serious problem here and The Journal and Royal Pharmaceutical
Society are in a position to tackle it. It will not be easy but it should
be pursued with determination. We will all become old one day.
J. Brian Spark
Ongar, Essex |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal