ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Responding to a critical report, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores highlighted the work of pharmacy and consumer groups to collaborate with the government to devise a "one-document solution" for prescription drug information provided to patients.
NACDS said Wednesday it submitted a letter to the editor to the Los Angeles Times in response to an Aug. 9 article in the newspaper that cited research suggesting that the printed information provided with prescription drugs is confusing for customers and that pharmacists could be more proactive in helping patients understand that information.
In the letter, submitted by NACDS president and chief executive Steve Anderson through the association’s Rapid Response Program, NACDS stated that pharmacy is working with the government to help provide "enhanced user-friendly information to patients about their prescription drugs." The association also noted that it submitted a Citizen Petition to the Food and Drug Administration in June 2008 and that seven other organizations, including other pharmacy and consumer groups, joined in the petition.
"The petition requests FDA guidance describing the parameters for a voluntary, FDA-approved, concise, plain language document for patients. Such a format could consolidate and replace the multiple written communications pharmacies must now distribute to patients," the NACDS letter said. "This ‘one-document solution’ could harmonize multiple documents that arise from different FDA-imposed legal requirements or information interpretations, and from different offices and constituencies within FDA."
NACDS added that on the positive side, the Los Angeles Times article said, "Pharmacists are a vital, if underused, part of health care."
