What must be included regarding the date on a drug label?

The inclusion of the date of dispensing on a drug label is essential because it helps ensure accurate medication management, especially in a clinical or outpatient setting. By documenting the date of dispensing, pharmacists provide crucial information for both healthcare providers and patients regarding when the medication was given out, thereby facilitating appropriate monitoring of therapy, adherence assessment, and identification of potential issues concerning the medication's use over time.

This date also becomes important in contexts such as patient counseling, insurance claims, and record-keeping for drug recalls or safety issues. Therefore, having the dispensing date readily available on the label plays a significant role in promoting patient safety and effective pharmaceutical care.

In contrast, while other dates, such as the date of manufacture and expiration dates, are important for understanding a drug's shelf life and safety, they do not serve the same purpose in daily medication management as the date of dispensing. Thus, the requirement to include the date of dispensing on a drug label emphasizes its critical role in ensuring safe and effective medication use.