[Nfbf-l] legislation for prescription labeling passes

[Sherri]

Just wanted to let you guys know that a bill passed nationally that would 
create a task force to suggest methods so that all pharmacies will be 
required to make prescription labeling accessible for blind people. Here is 
the press release from ACB.

For Immediate Release



Contact: Eric Bridges

Director of Advocacy and Governmental Affairs

American Council of the Blind

Phone: (202) 467-5081

E-mail: ebridges at acb.org



American Council of the Blind Applauds U.S. Senate for Including Accessible 
Prescription Drug Labeling Legislation in User Fee Authorization



ARLINGTON, Va., May 24, 2012 - Today blind and visually impaired citizens 
came one step closer to gaining independent and private access to the 
information contained on their prescription drug labels as the United States 
Senate passed S.3187, the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation 
Act.



"Knowing what medication you are taking and the quantity is something that 
most individuals without vision loss take for granted," said Mitch 
Pomerantz, president of the American Council of the Blind. "We are grateful 
that the Senate, through the staunch leadership of Senators Tom Harkin 
(D-Iowa) and Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), has passed legislation that will allow for 
a greater level of privacy and independence for blind and visually impaired 
Americans of all ages who take prescription medications."



More than 21.5 million Americans experience vision loss that renders them 
unable to read prescription drug labels or other medication information 
independently. With the incidence of vision loss expected to increase with 
the rapidly aging American population, the consequences of being unable to 
read prescription information pose a significant public health challenge. 
People who are blind or visually impaired can mistakenly consume the wrong 
medication, the incorrect dose, or an expired drug because they are unable 
to read the label or to distinguish between medicine containers. Some 
patients have reported being victims of pharmacy errors due to the inability 
to verify the accuracy of a prescription label. Many with vision loss are 
forced to become dependent either on sighted companions, pharmacists, or 
even complete strangers to read them their prescription information.



Description of the Legislation



Under S.3187, representatives of the blind and aging communities along with 
pharmacies and the U.S. Access Board will convene a working group. This 
group will establish best practices for pharmacies to ensure that people who 
are blind or visually impaired have access to prescription drug labeling. 
The group's recommendations would provide guidance to pharmacists on actions 
they can take to ensure that the blind or visually impaired understand the 
information on their prescription and to enable independent access to that 
information.



The guidelines will provide pharmacies a range of options they can choose to 
offer consumers, as well as allow additional flexibility for smaller 
pharmacies. Many of these options are low-cost, widely available, and 
compatible with equipment already in pharmacies.

The working group would consider options including but not limited to:

·        Enhanced visual aids such as large-print font, sans-serif font, and 
high-contrast printing;

·        Non-visual aids such as braille, and;

·        Auditory aids such as digital voice recorders attached to pill 
bottles, "talking bottles" that provide audible label information, and Radio 
Frequency Identification (RFID) tags or auxiliary smart labels, which are 
programmed, printed, and affixed to a prescription label container by a 
pharmacist. These labels can then be accessed by the consumer privately and 
independently, using a hand-held device that reads out the label 
information.



After pharmacies have had the opportunity to adopt the guidelines, the 
Government Accountability Office (GAO) will review the degree to which 
pharmacies are in compliance. They will examine whether the blind or 
visually impaired still lack safe and independent access to prescription 
drug labeling and issue a report to Congress on the remaining gaps and the 
scope of the problem.



###





Sherri Brun
flmom2006 at gmail.com

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 NFBF Newsline® chair
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Vice-president National Federation of the Blind of Florida Greater Orlando 
Chapter
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Chair Orange County Disability Advisory Board