A new study in the US has discovered that pharma labels for many drugs may not feature key safety information recommended by doctors and their manufacturers.

Consumer Reports Health visited a number of pharmacies and discovered that in several cases, investigators were not given suitable consumer medication information and sometimes received conflicting information about side effects from packaging.

Although the research was carried out in the US, it could lead to more stringent checks being made on pharmacies in the UK.
Dr Marvin M Lipman from Consumer Reports Health said he was shocked by what the study found.

"Critical warnings were absent from some drug labels and information sheets were confusing, loaded with medical jargon and sometimes unreadable due to tiny print," he commented.

His colleague Lisa Gill recommended pharmacies should make their printed labels clearer, while also emphasising a need for consumers to ask chemists in detail about any new medication they are prescribed.

Last month, a study by scientists at the Regenstrief Institute and the Indiana University School of Medicine found that some pharma labels now list an average of 70 possible side effects, leading to confusion in many cases.

Denny Bros Ltd, 01 July 2011