Final answer:
Drugs in automated pharmacy systems must be securely and correctly packaged to meet FDA safety and efficacy regulations, which include extensive testing and meticulous quality control. However strict medical regulations can delay access to new treatments and discourage development of drugs for rare diseases.
Step-by-step explanation:
The drugs used in automated pharmacy systems must be packaged according to stringent regulations to ensure safety and efficacy. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) plays a crucial role in this process, mandating extensive testing and oversight of medicines before they become available in the marketplace. This often involves a lengthy approval process where pharmaceutical companies must prove the stability and consistency of their products. In practice, this means that drugs must be sealed and labeled correctly with clear instructions and dosage information. They may also need to be packaged in a way that is tamper-evident and child-resistant.
Quality control measures like those performed by the chemist checking the accuracy and precision of dispensing machines, are vital in ensuring that the correct amount of medication is provided, which aligns with the packaging requirements. Despite the protection this regulation affords to the consumer there are downsides. The so-called 'losers' in this system could be patients who require innovative treatments that are delayed due to the lengthy approval process, or patients who have rare diseases for which it is not economically viable for companies to develop treatments under such stringent conditions.