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Published Online, 11 January 2005, www.theannals.com, DOI 10.1345/aph.1E494.
 The Annals of Pharmacotherapy: Vol. 39, No. 2, pp. 249-254. DOI 10.1345/aph.1E494
© 2005 Harvey Whitney Books Company.
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AMBULATORY CARE

Obstruction of Critical Information on Over-the-Counter Medication Packages by External Tags

Sujit S Sansgiry, PhD

Assistant Professor and Director of Graduate Programs, Department of Clinical Sciences and Administration, College of Pharmacy, University of Houston, Houston, TX

Manjiri D Pawaskar, BPharm MS

Graduate Student, Department of Clinical Sciences and Administration, College of Pharmacy, University of Houston

Reprints: Dr. Sansgiry, Department of Clinical Sciences and Administration, University of Houston, 1441 Moursund St., Houston, TX 77030-3407, fax 713/795-8383, Ssansgiry{at}uh.edu

BACKGROUND: Over-the-counter (OTC) medication packages are important sources of information for consumers during product selection and use. Consumers may not be able to access information from OTC packages if external tags, namely price or anti-theft tags, are improperly placed.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the amount and type of information concealed by anti-theft tags and price tags affixed on OTC drug packages.

METHODS: A field study was performed by evaluating packages containing acetaminophen and combinations of acetaminophen in stores located in Houston. Five packages for 4 products selected from each store after an initial survey for presence of an external tag were examined. A data collection sheet was prepared that extracted the type and amount of information concealed by these tags. Data were analyzed by performing descriptive analyses to provide an understanding of the information obscured.

RESULTS: A total of 24 stores were considered in the study, and 67 products and 285 packages were evaluated. External tags, both anti-theft and price tags, obscured significant amounts of information on the principal display panel (53.4%) and the Drug Facts panel (47.7%) of OTC packages. These tags concealed crucial information on various aspects of labels such as brand names (42.3%), product description (36.3%), warnings (51.5%), uses (10.4%), and purposes (7.2%).

CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that improper use of external tags clearly obscured important information on OTC medication packages necessary for consumers to make informed decisions regarding product selection and use. Tagging practices should be altered to allow consumers full access to drug information on the product.

Key Words: anti-theft tags, non-prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, price tags

Published Online, January 11, 2005. www.theannals.com, DOI 10.1345/aph.1E494




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