Labeling of Repackaged Medications

Purpose/ Applicability: To describe the procedure of labeling repackaged medications to be compliant with the Illinois Veterinary Practice Act

Scope: Applies to all repackaging within the VTH, VMSC, WMC and MWE.

Definition(s): 

• Repackaged medication: A drug or medication removed from the original manufacturer’s container and placed into another container such as a pill bottle or unit dose packaging.
• Prescription label compliant with the Illinois Veterinary Practice Act: A label containing, at a minimum, the following information:
  o Date on which the medication is dispensed
  o The name of the owner
  o The last name of the person dispensing the medication (i.e. the prescribing doctor)
  o Directions for use including dosage and quantity
  o The proprietary or generic name of the drug.
• HIS : Health Information System 

Policy (General):

All repackaged medication will be labeled with a prescription label compliant with the Illinois Veterinary Practice Act if being prescribed for a specific patient OR the following information if being repackaged for convenience in anticipation of future prescriptions.

• Drug name (generic or brand name), dosage form and strength
• Date of repackaging
• Quantity of medication(s) in the new container
• Expiration date stated on the manufacturer’s original packaging
• Lot number stated on the manufacturer’s original packaging

If the medication is repackaged without a compliant prescription label, tamper proof tape will be placed over the top to indicate unopened bottles.

The responsibility for ensuring all repackaged products are labeled in a compliant manner will fall to the person doing the repackaging.

Procedure (Repackaging chemicals):

1. Any repackaged chemical must have a GHS (Global Harmonized System) label with the name of chemical (strength or dilution if known) and marked with any known danger or warning hazards. Place clear tape over the GHS label so it does not rub off. 
2. Document the date of the repackage and expiration date (if applicable) 

Procedure (Farms):

1. Doctor or Pharmacist enters a prescription in the HIS and will pin them off the worklists. Printed labels will be printed in the Medication Dispensary. Once labels are printed, please affix them to the repackaged package. 
2. Repackaged product will expire 1 year from the date repackaged, or prior if ingredient(s) expires before the 1 year. If an ingredient has a prior expiration date, then the prescription label “Discard after” must be crossed out and the true expiration date must be written. Adjust any other default labels to true expiration date. 
3. The process of verifying all ingredients are good for at least one year from repackaging will fall with the technician doing the repackaging.

Procedure (Equine):

1. Technician completing the repackaging will generate prescription labels utilizing the Zebra Software in LAC. Labels must contain the following information:
   a. All ingredients and their quantities listed in the directions section of the label
   b. The common name of the product repackaged (e.g., electrolyte pack)
   c. The date repackaged as the dispensing date
   d. The expiration date (1 year from the date repackaged)
2. Once labels are printed, affix them to the repackaged package. 
3. Repackaged product will expire 1 year from the date repackaged, or prior if ingredient(s) expires before the 1 year. If an ingredient has a prior expiration date, then the repackaged product will expire at the earliest ingredient expiration date.
4. The process of creating the labels and verifying all ingredients are good for at least one year from repackaging will fall with the technician doing the repackaging.

Procedure (Combined Medications):

1. When mixing multiple medications into a single container, or creating dilutions, services must review the planned mixture with a pharmacist to ensure it is chemically stable. Each mixture will have a determined expiration date from date of mixture.
2. The person combining the medications is responsible for labeling the vial/bottle with all ingredients, the quantity of each ingredient, the date mixed and the expiration date.