Clearrx System

The standard-issue amber-cast pharmacy pill bottle has remained virtually unchanged since it was pressed into service after the Second World War (a child-safety cap was added in the seventies). And according to a recent poll conducted for US supermarket Target, 60 percent of prescription-drug users have taken medication incorrectly.

The ClearRx prescription-packaging system is a project revamping the familiar bottles for pills, introducing liquids and a measuring syringe.

The name of the drug is printed on the top of the bottle, so it’s visible if kept in a drawer. The red color of the bottle is Target’s signature — and a universal symbol for caution.

The label is divided into primary and secondary positions, separated by a horizontal line. The most important information (drug name, dosage, intake instructions) is placed above the line, and less important data (quantity, expiration date, doctor’s name) is positioned below.

The label can be wrapped around the top, and every piece of paper in the package adds up to one eight-and-a-half-by-fourteen-inch perforated sheet, which eliminates waste and makes life easier for pharmacists.

A system of six colored rubber rings that attach to the neck of the bottle was developed. Family members choose their own identifying shade, so medications in a shared bathroom will never get mixed up.

A card with more detailed information on a drug (common uses, side effects) is tucked behind the label. A separate, expanded patient-education sheet comes with three holes so it can be saved in a binder for reference.

The word “once” on labels is avoided, as it means eleven in Spanish.

Many of the existing warning symbols stuck on pill bottles don’t make much sense—the sign for “take on an empty stomach,” for instance, looked like a gas tank, so the 25 most important ones were revamped.