Microbial burden of repackaged versus original-tube clobetasol propionate 0.05% after 7 days of in-use exposure: a pilot study with paired unopened controls

Dear Editor,

In Taiwan, dermatology and primary care clinics commonly dispense clobetasol propionate 0.05% cream either in the manufacturer’s original aluminum tube or, more often, by transferring cream from larger factory containers into small plastic boxes at the clinic counter. This long-standing practice reduces drug waste and dispensing costs, but it is performed in a routine consultation environment rather than under laboratory conditions, and the destination boxes are not pre-sterilized. Patients therefore periodically express concern that repackaged creams may be more easily contaminated than original tubes. Empirical data are scarce. We undertook a small comparative pilot study with paired unopened controls (one for each packaging type) to address this concern. [...]