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California State Board of Pharmacy Takes Steps to Make
Prescription Container Labels Easier to Understand

 

Nearly half of Americans misunderstand prescription label instructions

SACRAMENTO – The California State Board of Pharmacy (Board) has begun work to develop standards to make prescription container labels more readable and easier to understand.

Recent studies have shown that 46% of American adults misunderstand the instructions on their prescription container labels, causing harm to at least 1.5 million people every year and costing close to $1 billion annually.

The California Patient Medication Safety Act of 2007 requires the Board to develop regulations by 2011 that will standardize prescription drug labels and make them easier to understand.

"With few exceptions, most prescription container labels are not terribly user friendly," said Board Executive Officer Virginia Herold. "Yet it's crucial for patients to understand the information on them for the prescriptions to be effective."

During the next several months, the Board will be holding a series of public meetings to gather information from both consumers and health care providers on ways to improve the readability of prescription labels. That information will then be used by the Board to develop new regulations.

Among the things the Board will consider are:

• Medical literacy research that points to increased readability of labels;
• Improved directions for use;
• Improved font types and sizes;
• Placement of information that is patient-centered;
• The needs of patients with limited English proficiency; and
• The needs of senior citizens.

The first meeting will be held April 12, 2008 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Wally Pond Irvington Community Center, 4188 Blacow Road in Fremont.

Information about the meeting, and about the Board's prescription readability initiative, can be found at www.pharmacy.ca.gov.

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