[announce] FW: H.R. 3187 Accessible Drug Labeling Bill Passes House - Goes to President

[Melanie Brunson]

Hello all,

 

The release below was sent out by our office just a few minutes ago!  Enjoy!

 

Melanie Brunson, Esq.

Executive Director

American Council of the Blind

2200 Wilson Blvd. Suite #650

Arlington, VA 22201

(202) 467-5081-phone

(703) 465-5085-fax

1-800-424-8666- ACB Toll Free

mbrunson at acb.org

www.acb.org

  _____  

From: Barbara Jackson LeMoine [mailto:blemoine at acb.org] 
Sent: Tuesday, June 26, 2012 5:27 PM
To: Melanie Brunson
Subject: H.R. 3187 Accessible Drug Labeling Bill Passes House - Goes to
President

 

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 Lauds U.S. Congress for Including 

Accessible Prescription Drug Labeling Language in FDA Bill 

That Now Moves to the President's Desk

 

ARLINGTON, Va., June 26, 2012 -  Blind and visually impaired citizens will
gain  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. 

 

"We are grateful that the House of Representatives and Senate, through the
staunch leadership of Representative Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Senators Tom
Harkin (D-Iowa) and Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), have 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," said
Mitch Pomerantz, president of the American Council of the Blind.

 

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. 

 

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. Many of these options are low-cost, widely available, and
compatible with equipment already in pharmacies.

 

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.

 

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