FDA takes action on drug information pack inserts to improve patient safety

With the aim of reducing risk of drug use and medical errors, the US Food and Drug Administration has unveiled a major revision to the format of prescription drug information, ie, the package insert, to give health care professionals clear and concise prescribing information. The new format will also make prescription information more accessible for use with electronic prescribing tools and other electronic information resources, the FDA says.

"Providing health care professionals and patients with clear and concise information about prescriptions will help ensure safe and optimal use of drugs, which translates into better health outcomes for patients and more efficient delivery of health care," said Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt. "By improving the package insert to make it more useful for health care providers in their day-to-day clinical practice, we are making it easier for them to explain the benefits and risks of medications for their patients," he added.

Will reduce complexity of data