Label changes due for OTC pain relievers

Due in part from a 2006 petition from Pharmacist Planning Services, Inc. (PPSI), the FDA has ordered new labeling to draw attention to the potential for liver damage from acetaminophen overdose and stomach bleeds from nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents. “The acetaminophen numbers are pretty horrific,” said Michael Negrete, CEO of the Pharmacy Foundation of California. “Unintentional acetaminophen poisoning is responsible for 13,000 emergency department admits every year, 2,200 acute hospitalizations, and 100 deaths. Making the active ingredient more obvious and giving clearer warnings may help reduce those numbers.” The final rule brought sweeping changes to OTC acetaminophen labeling. Consumers will see a new bold warning about liver damage, and acetaminophen will be featured in bold print in the product ingredient list. The FDA also ordered new, more obvious warnings of stomach bleeding for OTC NSAID product labels. For more information, please read the full article from Drug Topics.

Report: about 98,000 Americans still die annually from medical errors
Despite 10 years of awareness of the problem, about 98,000 Americans still die annually from preventable medical errors, a news report says. The Consumers Union report said lawmakers largely have failed to enact patient safety reforms recommended by a 1999 report by the Institute of Medicine that found that medical errors cost the U.S. as much as 29 billion U.S. dollars a year. "Ten years later, we don't know if we've made any real progress, and efforts to reduce the harm caused by our medical care system are few and fragmented," the report said. Lisa McGiffert of the Consumers Union called for key reforms of the health care system in order to protect patients. "As the debate over health care heats up in Washington, the congress should make sure that improving patient safety is a central part of any reform legislation it adopts," McGiffert said.

PFC CEO Appears in Feature News Story About Errors
KTVU.com- May 5, 2009
KTVU discovered in the Bay Area alone, so-called home medication errors injure some 50,000 people each year, kill hundreds more and cost millions in added health care. Michael Negrete of the Pharmacy Foundation of California stated that home- medication errors are increasing and vastly under reported. "34 Americans a day on average die at home because of a medication error," said Negrete...