A study carried out at the University of Bombai (India) and published in the International Journal of Biotechnology reveals that the color of a drug influences its effect on the patients for whom it is prescribed.
In particular, as RK Srivastava and colleagues have shown, most show a clear preference for red or pink pills . In addition, a high percentage of patients think that pink drugs are the sweetest, while yellow is associated with a salty taste, and white and blue with a bitter taste.
? Every time a patient takes a pill or capsule, he has perceptions that can affect the effectiveness he expects the medicine to have ,? say the scientists, who consider that it would be necessary to ensure that the color, shape and all Sensory elements of a drug create positive perceptions that complement the medical attributes. "If patients are reluctant to take a pill because of a taste bias, or simply because they don't like the color, they should consider making changes to its appearance," they conclude.
