Every legally sold pill is imprinted with a unique identifier composed of letters and numbers. With this number, you can identify the medicine it represents by searching online.
Unfortunately, many medications on the market may not have been approved by the FDA and could potentially be illegal or counterfeit. Therefore, it’s essential to properly identify and discard such drugs.
Color
Color and shape are critical characteristics of medications, helping patients, pharmacists, and emergency healthcare workers identify the correct drug. Furthermore, familiar colors and shapes make it simpler for seniors to remember their medication doses correctly.
Furthermore, patients are more likely to adhere to their treatment plan if they become familiar with the appearance of a drug. This holds especially true for over-the-counter (OTC) medicines and prescription medications that do not require a doctor’s prescription.
Studies have demonstrated that the color of a medication can have an impact on how people perceive and take it, with one study published in January 2013 finding people who were prescribed generic medications with colors other than their usual were more likely to discontinue taking the drug due to adverse reactions. It is therefore essential that pharmacists and physicians pay close attention when selecting how best to market their drugs.
Shape
Many medications come in distinct shapes, sizes and colors to distinguish them from other pills and make it simpler for patients to swallow them.
A new study reveals that the shape of a medication can have an effect on its effectiveness. Medicines designed to restore mental alertness or wakefulness during fatigue (energizing) should be angular in shape while those used to cure sleep disorders (calming) should be round, according to the researchers.
Researchers suggest the FDA should consider regulating generic drugs based on physical attributes. They cite a recent ruling from the Supreme Court which indicated the agency has authority to control “functional attributes” of pharmaceutical products.
Pattern
Patterns in art and design refer to repeated elements within an image or composition that create a desired effect. A pattern could consist of lines, shapes, decorative motifs or images repeated precisely and orderly for viewers’ eye-catching appeal.
Patterns are commonly used in science to describe a repeating series of elements that can be analyzed and understood to solve an issue. For instance, wave patterns are formed when ripples of sand move in an organized pattern across a surface.
Patterns tend to be easier to recognize than colors, shapes or imprints due to their ability to be seen with the naked eye; whereas colors, shapes and imprints require additional information for identification.
Imprint
An imprint code is a unique text, number or symbol printed on tablets, pills, geltabs and capsules to help identify them once removed from their packaging. This requirement comes from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for all prescription, over-the-counter, biologic and homeopathic solid oral dosage forms – whether these be pills or geltabs – regardless of form.
Pharmaceutical manufacturers submit imprint codes to the FDA, which are stored in a database accessible to healthcare professionals. Imprint codes may consist of single letters or numbers, any combination of words and company names, marks, symbols, logos or other unique markings.
Rapidly identifying pills is vital for patient and staff safety in poison control centers, hospitals and other medical settings. Without imprint information, personnel had a difficult time determining the identity of a medicine and were frequently unable to determine its type or dosage. Thanks to imprint-code submissions this process has become much more efficient; now it only takes seconds to search for a medication.
