ABSTRACT
Background As many pharmaceutical products are likely to generate some secondary effects or sideeffects, it is important that the balance is clearly in favour of the effectiveness of the drug and that such secondary effects are kept to a minimum in terms of both the product and its immediate pack. The industry therefore devotes considerable resources to ensure that the pack more than adequately meets its primary function of economically providing presentation and confidence, information/identification, protection against ingress and egress, plus compatibility between product and pack, compliance and convenience, until such time as the product is used or administered. As a pharmaceutical pack is normally required to maintain a shelf life of 3-5 years, in-depth testing is essential. The pharmaceutical industry therefore requires in most instances a level of safety superior to that of a foodstuff. This is of particular relevance when one considers that drugs are normally taken only when a person is exhibiting symptoms of illness, hence any untoward additional side-effects are not only undesirable but against the general interest of public health.
