Drugs company in Spain acts swiftly to change packaging of commonly prescribed medication to avoid confusion

Pharmaceutical company Cinfa has responded to a concerned user commenting on social media that a family member had confused the almost identical packaging of Lorazepam with that of Loratadine

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Madrid

Tuesday, 4 June 2024, 20:29

Spanish pharmaceutical company Cinfa will urgently be changing the colour of Lorazepam packaging after receiving complaints from several users that the boxes are being confused with other medicines under their brand name.

"My mother (77 years old) spent five days taking twice as much Lorazepam and not taking her allergy pills," a user reported on social media site X last Wednesday, providing a photo of the two boxes together. The similarity between the two packages is more than evident, so it is not surprising that many elderly patients may confuse the two if they do not stop to read them.

At the moment, both boxes have the same colour on each box, white and lilac. Moreover, both the lettering and the design are very similar, which can easily lead to confusion.

Lorazepam is a powerful medicine used to relieve anxiety or insomnia, while Loratadine is a drug used to treat allergy symptoms such as sneezing, runny nose, watery eyes, itchy throat and a rash or hives. So there is a big difference between both meds. Furthermore, taking too much Lorazepam can cause different side effects.

Mi madre durante cinco días tomando el doble de lorazepam y sin tomar las pastillas de la alergia.
Cambio de diseño de los envases.
Los envases para una persona de 77 años.
Ahora lo escribe con rotulador. pic.twitter.com/Oyi1IYNr7n
— El tuitero de los 836 followers. (@SrLlovet) May 22, 2024

Cinfa's response on X was immediate: "Hello, good afternoon. We are very sorry about this situation, of which we are already aware and to which we are applying a solution as we speak. In fact, we already have authorisation from the Spanish Agency of Medicines to change the colour of Lorazepam packaging to green, and this will soon be available in pharmacies. This issue is a priority for us and we are at your disposal if you would like more information."

Mi madre durante cinco días tomando el doble de lorazepam y sin tomar las pastillas de la alergia.
Cambio de diseño de los envases.
Los envases para una persona de 77 años.
Ahora lo escribe con rotulador. pic.twitter.com/Oyi1IYNr7n
— El tuitero de los 836 followers. (@SrLlovet) May 22, 2024

Therefore, there is every indication that the new green packs of Lorazepam will arrive in pharmacies in the next few days or weeks. In the meantime, as always, patients are advised to follow these recommendations: to look carefully at the packaging and, if necessary, to mark it up in some way to avoid confusion.

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