Munich pharmacy stops dangerous prescription error for child's eye infection
Berlin – Time and again, pharmacies prove they are far more than just places to pick up medication. Through in-person consultations, they ensure patients receive the right drugs. At Munich's Barer Apotheke, a licensed pharmacist spotted a potentially catastrophic error on a prescription—saving a child from serious harm.
The prescription called for Actikerall (fluorouracil/salicylic acid, Almirall) to be applied twice in the eye. Pharmacy owner Elisabeth Sommersgutter notes, "An online pharmacy might have just filled it without question. Who knows?"
A father came into the Barer Apotheke with a prescription from an ophthalmology practice. "His child had sand in their eye and was supposed to get moisturizing eye drops," Sommersgutter explains. But when her consulting pharmacist saw Actikerall—a topical treatment for skin conditions containing fluorouracil and salicylic acid—on the script, alarm bells went off.
Fortunately, the pharmacist caught the mistake. "We always ask who the medication is for and what it's meant to treat," Sommersgutter says. "We're happy to have everything explained to us." In this case, the pharmacist refused to dispense the drug, warning the father of the risks. "This could have ended up in the child's eye," Sommersgutter adds. The mix-up likely stemmed from a similarly named medication.
The pharmacy recommended over-the-counter eye drops for immediate relief, took the father's phone number, and promised to follow up with the clinic. As it turned out, the intended prescription was for Azyter (azithromycin, Thea). Sommersgutter stresses that her goal isn't to assign blame but to understand how errors happen. "I can't imagine how this slipped through at the practice. Maybe there was confusion when entering the prescription."
When the pharmacy contacted the clinic, they expressed gratitude for catching the mistake and issued the correct eye drops. "It doesn't bear thinking about what could have happened if that solution had gone into the child's eye," Sommersgutter says. "In the worst case, permanent damage was possible." The father, too, was relieved by the pharmacy's intervention.
"This is why local pharmacies exist—to catch mistakes like these," she argues. "Online orders can't spot these issues." She doubts an online service would have questioned the prescription or called to verify.
Sommersgutter, who has run the pharmacy independently since 2018, is glad the father and child received proper care. Referencing recent pharmacy protests, she emphasizes that cases like this show how brick-and-mortar pharmacies do more than preserve jobs—they safeguard public health. That's why she joined Monday's demonstrations.
