Beware of Confusion Between Lookalike Medicine Vials
Summary
FAMHP issued a consumer safety warning on 27 April 2026 alerting consumers and healthcare providers about the risks of confusing similar-looking liquid medicine vials with other liquid products such as essential oils, food supplements, and homeopathic remedies. The guidance recommends storing vials in original packaging, reading package leaflets carefully, and checking labels to distinguish products for external use from those for internal use. The agency also directs reporting of medication errors without side effects to medication-errors@fagg-afmps.be and medication errors with adverse reactions to the standard side effects reporting system, while advising immediate contact with the Poison Control Centre at 070 245 245 if an error occurs.
“If it says 'external use', the product must not be swallowed.”
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GovPing monitors Belgium FAMHP News for new healthcare & life sciences regulatory changes. Every update since tracking began is archived, classified, and available as free RSS or email alerts — 5 changes logged to date.
What changed
FAMHP published a public safety advisory on 27 April 2026 warning about the risk of confusion between lookalike liquid medicine vials and other liquid products. The guidance covers liquid medicines, food supplements, medical devices, essential oils, plant extracts, and homeopathic remedies that may come in similar vials. The document provides practical prevention tips including storing vials in original packaging, reading leaflets for dosage and usage instructions, checking labels for external/internal use designations, and noting product smell as a distinguishing factor.\n\nHealthcare providers and consumers in Belgium should be aware of these confusion risks when handling or recommending liquid medications and related products. Pharmacists are specifically advised to inform patients about correct dosage and proper use of dosing tools. Errors without side effects should be reported to the FAMHP medication error reporting system, while errors causing adverse reactions should use the standard side effects reporting pathway.
Archived snapshot
Apr 27, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
Beware of confusion between lookalike vials
date: 27/04/2026 Many liquid medicines, food supplements, medical devices … come in liquid form, bottled in vials of different sizes. Such vials can easily be confused, which can be dangerous. Always check the product you intend to use.
You probably have several vials in your medicine cabinet at home. They may contain, for example, cough syrup, a wart remedy, vitamins, inhalation drops, etc.
Some vials may not contain medicines, but other liquid products such as essential oils, plant extracts, homeopathic remedies, mouthwash, liquid bandage or food supplements. Some of those products should be applied to the skin (external use), while others must be swallowed or inhaled (internal use).
Incorrect use of a product can be dangerous.
Do you need to use one of these vials? Always check that it is the correct product and, above all, how it should be used.
Tips to avoid mistakes
- Store the vial in its original packaging, whenever possible.
- Read the leaflet carefully to ensure that you take the correct dose.
- In the package leaflet, check how to use the medicine: orally, on your skin or with an inhaler.
- Check the vial label: product name, dosage, use, etc. If it says ‘external use’, the product must not be swallowed.
- Pay attention to the product's smell: a vitamin smells differently from an essential oil.
- Always keep vials out of children's reach to avoid accidents. Questions or doubts? When in doubt, consult your pharmacist before using the product. If an error should occur, call the Poison Control Centre (070 245 245) immediately.
How to notify a medication error?
- Errors without side effects Potential or actual errors without side effects can be reported via medication-errors@fagg-afmps.be.
Errors with side effects
If the error provokes an adverse reaction, please use the classic reporting system to describe the situation, via this form.
Communications on this subject (in French and Dutch)Flash VIG-news 28 November 2018 – Accidental swallowing of keratolytic solutions by children
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Last updated on
27/04/2026
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