Editorial: Government removes drug label mysteries

Friday, March 12, 1999 | 11:59 a.m.

On Thursday the Food and Drug Administration announced a new -- and much-needed -- regulation that will require over-the-counter drugs to use new labels with larger print and plain language. The uniform labels, similar to the nutrition labels on foods that the FDA required in 1994, should make it easier for consumers to figure out product warnings and make sure they're taking the right dosage. The new labels will start to appear on some packages this spring, on a majority of drugs within two years and on all products within six years.

Consumers are pretty much on their own when taking an over-the-counter medication. What happens too often is that people either take the wrong medication or use the incorrect dose, because they don't understand or can't find the warning label. The misuse of over-the-counter drugs annually results in more than 170,000 hospitalizations at a cost of $750 million, according to government statistics. The Clinton administration, which supports the new rule, contends that studies show better information could cut these numbers in half.

For those who are elderly, and may have poor eyesight, trying to read the fine print carrying warnings on these medications is frustrating. And for parents, the instructions sometimes are so confusing and technical that they feel as if they have to consult a dictionary before giving medicine to their children, Vice President Al Gore said.

The new regulation clearly is a step in the right direction, but the next move is tackling prescription medications. But as the New York Times mentioned in an article Thursday, Congress in 1995 barred the FDA from overhauling prescription drug labels until 2000; even then, the FDA will have to initiate a study before it can take action. It doesn't make sense, though, to stop the FDA from tackling potentially more harmful medications. Congress should take the shackles off the FDA and let the agency take the necessary action to make prescription drug labels more clear and, in turn, safer for consumers.