Medicine pack check sheet

Source-linked reading points

• The U.S. label lists 5, 10, 20 and 40 mg as different tablet strengths and describes colour, shape and debossing. Strength, appearance and debossing together help check a product; a single clue or photo cannot authenticate it, establish current market packaging or establish interchangeability.
• AstraZeneca China's current product-portfolio page lists CRESTOR (可定®) rosuvastatin calcium tablets in 5, 10 and 20 mg strengths, but that does not merge the U.S. 40 mg tablet, Japanese 2.5 mg tablet or Japanese OD tablet into a Chinese package. After seeing the brand name, continue checking the actual pack's generic name, strength per tablet, dosage form, approval number, leaflet version and target market. A company product list is not an individual tablet count or a cross-market conversion table.
• Atorvastatin and rosuvastatin are both statins, but that does not mean “one of each today” or self-directed alternation is appropriate. Any combination, switch, stop or adjustment needs professional confirmation using the current label, full medicine list, prior reactions and clinical information.
• The label identifies some co-medications that need avoidance, limits or extra review; that cannot be simplified into a universal “safe/unsafe” list. When starting or stopping any prescription medicine, OTC product, supplement or herb, ask a pharmacist to review it.