Medicine Labels to be Made Simple and Straightforward
The British National Formulary (BNF) has instigated a campaign to simplify the labeling on medicine in order to provide clearer information to consumers.
An advisory body for health professionals, The British National Formulary (BNF) has instigated a campaign to simplify the labeling on medicine in order to provide clearer information to consumers. Head of the research team at University of Leeds, Pharmacy professor Theo Raynor said, "Most medicines do contain leaflets which provide detailed information for patients. However the leaflet may get lost, which means that the label on the medicine plays a very important part in guiding people's behavior. It is vital that wordings on labels are simple and straightforward."
According to the changes that are to be made words like 'May cause drowsiness' would be blacklisted and instead simpler vocabulary terms like 'this medicine may make you sleepy' should be used. Similarly the phrase, 'avoid alcoholic drink' should be replaced by 'do not drink alcohol whilst taking this medicine'[.
These new look labels are expected to appear in pharmacies within six months time.
Source: Medindia