Check where the medicine came from, inspect its packaging and dates, and compare the product with what was prescribed or supplied. These checks can help you spot a concern, but they cannot prove that a medicine is genuine. If anything about its identity, appearance, directions, or warnings is unclear, pause and ask a pharmacist or other qualified health professional.
Start with a trusted source
Obtain medicines from a trusted, licensed outlet, such as a pharmacy, clinic, doctor, hospital, or health centre. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends using authorized sources because medicines from unregulated sellers may be substandard or falsified. WHO guidance for patients and consumers
What to inspect on medicine packaging
Condition and product details
- Check whether the box, bottle, blister pack, or seal is damaged, opened, or appears tampered with.
- Read the medicine name and strength, and compare them with the prescription or the information given when it was dispensed.
- Look for spelling mistakes or printing that appears inconsistent or unclear.
Dates and batch details
- Find the expiry date and check that it has not passed.
- If both inner and outer packaging show an expiry date or batch number, compare them for consistency.
- Raise a question if a date or batch detail is missing, obscured, or inconsistent; do not try to resolve a discrepancy by guessing.
Medicine appearance
Notice whether tablets, capsules, or liquid look discoloured, degraded, or unusually scented compared with what you expect. These observations may be reasons to seek advice, but they are not a test of authenticity. Some falsified products can look almost identical to genuine ones. WHO advice on substandard and falsified medical products
Do not judge a medicine by appearance alone
Generic tablets can differ in size, shape, or colour and still contain the same medicine. A changed appearance does not, by itself, show that a medicine is wrong or unsafe. If a tablet looks different from a previous supply, ask the dispensing pharmacist to confirm what it is before relying on appearance to identify it. Pharmacists can also help identify tablets and answer questions about medicines. FDA: Pharmacists Help You Use Medicines Safely
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Ask before taking it if directions or warnings are unclear
Check the label for dose directions and warnings, but do not guess if you cannot understand them or are unsure how they apply to you. Contact the dispensing pharmacist or prescriber before taking the medicine. Tell the pharmacist if you have trouble reading the label; they can help explain it and answer questions. When asking about interactions, share a current list of your medicines, vitamins, and supplements, as the CDC advises. CDC medication safety guidance
Medication confusion can involve more than a damaged package. Similar-looking packaging and medicine names that sound alike are recognized contributors to medication errors. FDA describes medication errors as preventable events that may lead to inappropriate medicine use or harm; an error does not always result in an adverse event. FDA information on medication errors WHO on look-alike, sound-alike medicines
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What to do if something seems suspicious
- Do not rely on a visual inspection to decide whether the medicine is genuine.
- Show the packaging and medicine to a pharmacist, doctor, or other qualified health professional and explain what concerned you.
- If a professional shares your concern, follow their advice and report the suspicion to your national medicines regulator.
WHO’s consumer message is “KNOW. CHECK. ASK.” Its Medication Without Harm initiative gives a global estimated cost associated with medication errors of US$42 billion annually; the page does not state the estimate’s year, so it should not be read as a current-year measurement.
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