February 2006: Neuromuscular Blocking Agent Labelling and Packaging Initiative
A collaborative meeting of representatives of pharmaceutical manufacturers of neuromuscular blocking agents was convened by ISMP Canada in Toronto on February 27th, 2006. The foremost outcome was agreement among the attending stakeholders on the “ideal features” for packaging and labeling of neuromuscular blocking agents:
- Red cap with white lettering: “Paralyzing agent” or “Warning: Paralyzing Agent”
- Red ferrule with white lettering: “Paralyzing agent”
- Red lettering on the product label: “Paralyzing agent” or “Warning: Paralyzing Agent”
- Peel-off label, using the colour scheme and content information recognized by the ASA/CAS recommended standards, for application to a prepared syringe (ASA = American Society of Anesthesiologists (www.asahq.org); CAS = Canadian Anesthesiologists’ Society (www.cas.ca)
- Space on the product label for bar code application
- Development of a universal symbol for neuromuscular blocking agents and proposal for global use: placement of this symbol (e.g., on the label), to be determined
- Review of potential benefit of using TALL-man lettering for generic names of neuromuscular blocking agents
