Light and drugs: practice and clinical perspectives

Abstract

The effect of light on drugs has, until recently, been considered relatively unimportant even though the storage instruction Protect from Light is being prescribed by pharmacopoeias for an increasing number of drugs and excipients. Despite the fact that there has been much publicity over the years about skin cancers especially in countries such as Australia, there has been limited awareness raised about the combined effect of light and drugs on the human skin. Although therapeutic inactivity is not a likely outcome, it is important to consider that even minor photodegradants may result in light-induced side effects, eg photosensitivity reactions, in patients.