[fcb-l] FW: ALERT! ALERT! Accessible Prescription Drug LabelingBillto be Introduced in House

[Patricia A. Lipovsky]

This is wonderful.


  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Mary Ann 
  To: fcb-l at acb.org 
  Sent: Saturday, February 25, 2012 9:36 AM
  Subject: [fcb-l] FW: ALERT! ALERT! Accessible Prescription Drug LabelingBillto be Introduced in House


  This is great news for us all.  Rep. Markey is truly a champion of our issues.  As you may remember, he introduced and then faught for the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act which is enacted.

  Mary Ann

   

  From: Joe Fagnani [mailto:joefagnani at atlanticbb.net] 
  Sent: Saturday, February 25, 2012 9:11 AM
  To: Undisclosed-Recipient:;
  Subject: ALERT! ALERT! Accessible Prescription Drug LabelingBill to be Introduced in House

   


  I am very pleased to announce that on Monday Representative Ed Markey (D-MA)
  will introduce H.R. 4087, Accessible Prescription Drug Labeling Promotion
  Act of 2012!

   

  Under H.R. 4087, representatives of consumers and pharmacies and federal
  regulators 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. In other words, 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 they can access this information
  independently. The guidelines should 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.

   

  The working group would consider options including:

   

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

   

  * Non-visual aids such as braille

   

  * 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 implement 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.

   

  As you can imagine, this issue will be covered at length during the
  Legislative Seminar. Our sincere thanks go to Rep. Markey and his staff for
  championing this issue.

   

  Eric

   

  Eric Bridges
  Director of Advocacy and Governmental Affairs
  American Council of the Blind
  2200 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 650
  Arlington, VA 22201
  202-467-5081
  ebridges at acb.org
  www.acb.org

   

   



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