HOW TO READ AN INDIAN MEDICATION PACK

The Indian government has made it very easy for consumers to read and understand a medication pack. This is to ensure transparency for the consumers. When you order an Indian medication for 90 days it will either be in the form of pills or capsules or inhalers. We do not sell syrups or injections as of now from our pharmacy.

When you order pills or capsules these normally come in a blister of 10 pills. Sometimes this may vary and you could receive blisters or 7 pills, 14 pills and 15 pills but majority of the packs are in blisters of 10 pills. These blisters will come in an outer box of 2, 3 or 9 blisters. If the outer box has 2 blisters then you will have 4 boxes and 1 separate blister. If the outer box has 3 blisters then you will get 3 boxes and if the outer box has 9 blisters then you will get 1 box.

The outer box has the entire product and packaging information as required by Indian FDA law. On the box the following information is printed; generic molecule name, Indian brand name, product strength, product form (capsules or tablets), MRP (maximum retail price) for 1 strip, manufacturer name, manufacturing location, marketer name and address (if different from manufacturer), batch number, manufacturing date and expiry date. All this information is mandatory as per Indian FDA law and can be found on the outer packaging.

When you open the box you will see blisters inside the box. The blisters ALSO must carry the same information as the outer box. All the above-mentioned information is also mentioned on the blister. This is also mandatory.

All pharmaceuticals products that we dispense from India will come in a few forms. They will either be tablets or capsules in a blister or strip; inhaler in a box; eye drop bottle in a box. All products will come in the original packaging.

Original packaging has a few contents. One will be the outer box. For example say you order generic version of Plavix from India. This is dispensed under the name of CLOPIVAS, which is the generic version from Cipla. So in your parcel you will see a box which says CLOPIVAS. This is the outer box. Inside this box there will be 9 strips of 10 tablets each, 90 tablets of the product.

When open the box you will see 9 blisters of Clopivas inside. Each blister is a packaging and sale unit. In India we are not allowed to sell less than the blister or strip. Never ever accept any product from India that is in a form other than a blister or strip pack.

On the blister there is a lot of information. The product name, the generic name of the molecule (in this example it would be clopidogrel), the contents or ingredients that are inside each tablet, name and location of manufacturing facility, manufacturing license number and storage condition.

On the back side of the blister there will be the batch number of the product, the MRP which is the maximum price at which this product can be legally sold in India, the manufacturing date and the expiry date.

Do not consume a product if it does not have ALL the above information on the packahgig and the blister/strip. This is a requirement in India and every company has to follow it. If any of the information is missing you need to be cautious about the source and quality of the product.

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