Published: 3 March 2016

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Compliance Packaging of Medicines

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Prescriber Update 37(1): 4
March 2016

Healthcare professionals should carefully consider the properties of each medicine before repacking into compliance packaging as not all medicines are suitable.

Compliance packaging in pharmacies

Compliance packaging is a service offered in many community pharmacies in New Zealand. Although there are many different forms of compliance packaging, they all share the common feature that medicines are repacked into closed, compartmentalised containers specifying administration times.

The aim of compliance packaging is to assist patient adherence to a prescribed medicine regime and to improve the safe administration of medicines.

Key groups that can benefit from compliance packaging include elderly patients, residential care facility residents and patients requiring treatment with a large number of medicines.

Factors to consider

It is important to consider the physical properties of both the active ingredient(s) and excipients as these may determine whether a medicine is suitable for compliance packaging.

When in doubt, a good first point of reference is the Pharmaceutical Precautions section of the medicine data sheet, available on the Medsafe website (www.medsafe.govt.nz/Medicines/infoSearch.asp). These data sheets are provided by the sponsor of the medicine in New Zealand.

Recent case report

One recent example reported to Medsafe relates to Epilim (sodium valproate) 200mg EC tablets. Sodium valproate is very hygroscopic (readily takes up and retains moisture) and a tablet can lose its integrity and become ‘soft’ and ‘gooey’ when deblistered into compliance packaging.

The Sanofi-Aventis data sheet for Epilim states that ‘Epilim tablets are hygroscopic and must be kept in protective foil until taken.’1 Healthcare professionals need to be aware that if these tablets are placed in compliance packaging, they must be retained in their original foil blister.

Further examples of medicines that should be kept in the original packaging can be found in a previous Prescriber Update article ‘Medicine Storage – An Uncontained Issue?2.

As with all medicines, it is important that all compliance packaging is stored in a cool, dry place, out of reach and sight of children.

References
  1. Sanofi-Aventis New Zealand Limited. 2015. Epilim Data Sheet. 27 February 2015. URL: www.medsafe.govt.nz/profs/datasheet/e/Epilimtabsyrliqiv.pdf (accessed 17 November 2015).
  2. Medsafe. 2014. Medicine Storage – An Uncontained Issue? Prescriber Update 35(3): 36-37. URL: www.medsafe.govt.nz/profs/PUArticles/September2014MedicineStorage.htm (accessed 17 November 2015).
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