Pharmaceutical labels with large print text could be hugely beneficial for elderly patients and help boost medication regimen compliance.

According to AgingCare.com, an online community dedicated to people who care for the elderly, huge numbers of people die every year because of medication non-compliance.

However, the forum claimed the problem could be tackled with a few simple, but innovative developments in the way medication is labelled and administered.

A spokesperson for the website said: "Not being able to read small print on labels or distinguish between pills can lead to dangerous misuse."

"People with vision problems should ask [their] pharmacist for medication labels in large print size," they added.

The website also claimed that issuing elderly patients with a pill organiser, which dispenses the correct number and type of pills to be taken each day, will resolve the issues of overdoses and missed medication.

Recently research published in the Archives of Internal Medicine in the US showed that patients could benefit from much simpler pharma labels.

Denny Bros Ltd, 26 May 2011