The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 268 No 7202 p827-832
15 June 2002

This article
Reprint
Photocopy

News summary

This report comes from the Association of the European Self-Medication Industry (AESGP) meeting held in Dublin from 5 to 7 June 2002. The Journal's attendance was supported by the Proprietary Association of Great Britain

Parliamentary pharmacy group calls for review of patient leaflets

A review of patient information leaflets to see whether actually they help patients has been called for by the Parliamentary All-Party Pharmacy Group (APPG).

A report to the health ministers following the group's March meeting on medicines regulation (PJ, 9 March, p316) says that the leaflets should be reviewed for their practical effectiveness, their use of language, accuracy and completeness.

The group wants the way medicines are regulated to lead to better information for patients and more appropriate use of medicines. It dismisses direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising as not being the right way to achieve this and expresses concern that the internet provides a largely unregulated outlet for DTC advertising on the United Kingdom.

Other recommendations in the report are:

1. Retention of the POM, P and GSL medicines classifications with moves from POM to P wherever appropriate and a cautious view of moves to GSL
2. Exploration of ways to recognise, formalise and develop the advisory role of pharmacists in medicines use
3. Swift progress towards pharmacist prescribing
4. Active consideration of ways to improve patient information and information for health professionals