Med Safety Board Releases White Paper Emphasizing that Injectable Medication Labels Must Be Well-Differentiated to Prevent Patient Harm

Look-alike medication labels is one of the most frequently reported issues with injectable products reported to the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP), Med Safety Board’s parent organization. This continued evidence of mix-ups between look-alike products, particularly those from the same manufacturer, indicates that urgent action is needed to address this long-standing safety issue. Med Safety Board recently issued a White Paper calling for pharmaceutical manufacturers to help prevent potentially harmful errors by ensuring injectable medication labels are easily distinguishable from each other.

The White Paper addresses key points that manufacturers should consider when designing labels, including:

• Why mix-ups with injectable drugs occur
• Impact on patient safety
• Contributing factors
• Labeling considerations

Med Safety Board suggests that pharmaceutical manufacturers not only consider the recommendations presented in the White Paper, but also proactively evaluate their product labeling and packaging for other safety concerns by following US Food and Drug Administration guidance documents and based on lessons learned from events published by ISMP. We also encourage healthcare organizations to consider these other error-prone aspects of labeling and packaging when determining which products to purchase or add to their formulary.

Download a copy of A Call to Action: Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Must Ensure Injectable Medication Labels are Well-Differentiated to Prevent Patient Harm

Contact Med Safety Board to learn more about assessing product risks for safe use in the clinical environment and to speak with our experts. You can also call (267) 725-0063 for a Complimentary Discovery Call to discuss your potential risks and the solutions that we offer.

This white paper was prepared through a grant from Long Grove Pharmaceuticals, LLC.