“Helpful” advice from pharmacies.

Have you puzzled over the “helpful” advice printed out with each prescription? If so you are not alone. A recent study by the FDA found that the printed consumer medication information (CMI) voluntarily provided with new prescriptions by retail pharmacies does not consistently provide easy-to-read, understandable information about the use and risks of medications. Only about 75 percent of this information met the minimum criteria for usefulness as defined by a panel of stakeholders. In 1996, Congress called for 95 percent of all new prescriptions to be accompanied by useful CMI by 2006. Shouldn’t 10 years have been ;long enough? In 2009 the FDA will hold a public meeting to discuss the study's findings. In addition, the FDA has created a Web site to receive public comment on the study and solicit feedback on the best ways to provide useful prescription information to consumers.