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Blog: Can Packaging and Labeling be Deceiving in the Pharma Industry?

Added By: 247Compliance,   Dated: July 8, 2019,  Industry: Packaging and Labeling

Packaging and labeling are some of the vital processes in any industry, specifically in the Pharmaceutical industry. When we talk about the Pharmaceutical Industry, the labeling part is one of the crucial entities that tops the list when someone purchases a prescribed medication. The ingredients, nutritional facts, side-effects, MFD, EXP, etc., are some of the basic information that is made available on the labeling of the drugs in any pharmacy.

When you buy a certain type of medication from a drug store, proper labeling is the only thing that helps you understand the importance of the medicines and the effects and side effects of these medications. However, with the growing population, there is a greater demand for marketing drugs of every kind. Various brands of the same type of ingredients and their ability to cure the same type of targeted disease have turned out to be of great influence on the people who always want to get the second opinion on their prescribed medication, the important reason being- the lower cost of the medications. There are other such factors that influence the deception of the packaging and labeling of the prescribed medics, which you purchase at the time of your need.

The very first factor that comes into play is the regulation of the FDA and the inspection that it makes obligatory to be carried out by every Pharma company. If you own a pharma industry, it is mandatory that you carry out these regulations as is administered by the FDA. Most of the Pharmaceutical companies cannot afford the cost that comes in along with this inspection, meaning, there are several drugs that are in the market, which are not inspected by the FDA due to the heavy cost, and have been consumed by the people regularly. These drugs might not have proper packaging and labeling as per the regulatory guidelines and thus, affect the health and expectation of the people. This information can be anything relating to the nutritional facts, health benefits or side effects, which is indeed a major concern for the people, who are suffering from a deadly disease and need cheap medication to cure their disease.

The second major factor is the competitions in medicinal brands. Everyone has their own choice of brands, even in medicines, as some brands have specific constituents that work magic for one, while it can turn out to be hell for the others, even though they are marketed under the same name. This, in turn, increases the competition between the Pharmaceutical brands. Healthy competition is always good, especially, when you are on a road to provide better health for the people, however, anything opposite to that can be extremely risky and dangerous. To keep up with the competition, certain brands include and supply adultered ingredients at cheaper rates that have bad effects on the public's health. Considering this, our responsibility towards keeping ourselves more informed and up-to-date is highly important in these scenarios, and why shouldn't we? When the question is about our safety and well being.

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The third important factor is the availability of information on the World Wide Web and its influence on the people. With the internet being available almost everywhere and with Google seemed to find its way in our phones, the detailed constituent of the prescribed medication has become readily accessible within a fraction of seconds. This has helped people in acknowledging and cross-checking the entire details of the prescribed medications before they could hit the Pharmacy. From what brand to prefer for the aid to the history of how those medications have worked in years, the information is considered helpful. With this kind of information, one can easily decide the type of medication they should opt for, check whether the packaging and labeling indicating the side-effects and risk is valid than that being available on an authentic website, and check the proper ratings and reviews and take doctor's suggestion over getting deceived by the packaging and labeling of any random medicines.

Although, how helpful and simple the internet information on the labeling medications might seem, it is still important to consult doctors/physicians than blindly relying on the web. The information that is available on the internet cannot guarantee our health and safety, even if the content seems to be promising and authentic. The question on safety becomes secondary when we consume medications which have followed proper regulatory standards before it came into existence. Following important guidelines, by the regulatory body, is one of the essential steps in manufacturing a medicine or anything that plays a part in our health and environment. With proper regulatory guidelines, the packaging and labeling process can be effective and reliable, as the guidelines are governed and administered by the assertive regulatory body.

Packaging and labeling provides a face to the good/commodity being packed, and thus stands as an important process in providing assurance and governance to the regulatory need of the people. When not taken utmost care, this process can be exposed to high risk and can lose people's trust over its marketing and brand value. When we take a look at the above-discussed factors, the concept of packaging and labeling can be deceptive and agonizing, but with proper precautionary measures on establishing mandatory and necessary details and delicate information, the same can save thousands and millions of lives.