Pointing to a common drug industry practice of selling pharmaceuticals in single-use bottles that are much larger than the typically needed dose, a pharmacist-consultant for surgery centers is asking Alcon to consider selling its Betadine ophthalmic prep solution in smaller vials than currently available.
Sheldon S. Sones, RPh, based in Newington, Conn., made the request to the eyecare giant in his newsletter, PHARM-ASC. Requesting Alcon to begin offering Betadine in a 2ml container as an alternative to the current 30ml container, Mr. Sones said the company could take the lead in fixing a widespread problem across the drug industry.
"I call on your company to revisit this product and join with us in strategizing on how to make it available in the surgical arena in a dosage form that best enables compliance and doesn't prompt facilities to explore other options," Mr. Sones wrote in his newsletter.
All too often, Mr. Sones says, drugs are packaged in single-use containers in much larger volumes than are routinely used. Clinicians have to buy the larger dosage and then throw out the rest. Alcon, for example, does not offer Betadine in a smaller container than a 30ml bottle, even though only about 1ml to 2ml is used per patient in most cases, he says.
Since Betadine is labeled for single use, reusing it would violate labeling restrictions and, more importantly, pose a quality hazard once the contents have been opened and exposed, says Mr. Sones. Furthermore, the bottle has a twist-off cap that cannot be screwed back on tight to reseal it. "This may encourage unadvisable makeshift resealing," he says.
Some compounding pharmacies are reportedly repackaging the 30ml bottle in 1ml and 2ml dropper bottles for use before eye surgeries, but it is unclear whether this is legal. Alcon representatives did not return repeated requests for comment on the issue.
Mr. Sones says he encourages Alcon to maintain the 30ml size for larger-volume use, which is occasionally needed, but says a smaller size "would be widely embraced." Alcon is "a good company, a major industry leader, who can serve as a model for others to emulate in providing products in dosage forms commonly used," he wrote in his newsletter.
Leigh Page
