Patients at risk from unlabelled samples.(prescription starter packs)

Australian Doctor,  February, 2007  by Jenkins, Rebecca

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By Rebecca Jenkins

PATIENTS are not receiving adequate information when given prescription drug starter packs, with potentially harmful effects, research suggests.

A case series, based on calls to the national Adverse Medicine Events Line, found patients had received samples without labels or consumer medicines information.

This led to patients doubling up on medications, delaying treatment or taking two strengths of the same medicine.

In one instance a 78-year-old man, who had received a sample of rofecoxib (Vioxx) and later a prescription for celecoxib (Celebrex), ...

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