Drug labels sometimes lack key safety warnings and some pharmacies fail to include the medication guides required by the federal government, according to investigation findings by Consumer Reports Health.
For its investigative "spot check," Consumer Reports Health sent employees to five individual drugstores in Yonkers, N.Y. (Costco, CVS, Target, Walgreens, and Walmart) to fill prescriptions for warfarin, one of the 20 most commonly prescribed drugs in the U.S.
Their "spot check" investigation showed four of the five pharmacies failed to provide a federally mandated medication guide that is required for certain drugs, including warfarin. Although all of the pharmacies provided their own patient materials, known as consumer medication information, they differed from the FDA-approved guide for warfarin and contained conflicting warnings about alcohol.
The investigators also found critical warnings were absent from some drug labels and information sheets were confusing, loaded with medical jargon and sometimes unreadable due to tiny print, according to the news release.
Read the Consumer Reports Health news release about drug labels and warnings.
Related Articles on Medication Safety:
JAMA: Joint Commission Patient Safety Goals Should Be Part of Meaningful Use
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For its investigative "spot check," Consumer Reports Health sent employees to five individual drugstores in Yonkers, N.Y. (Costco, CVS, Target, Walgreens, and Walmart) to fill prescriptions for warfarin, one of the 20 most commonly prescribed drugs in the U.S.
Their "spot check" investigation showed four of the five pharmacies failed to provide a federally mandated medication guide that is required for certain drugs, including warfarin. Although all of the pharmacies provided their own patient materials, known as consumer medication information, they differed from the FDA-approved guide for warfarin and contained conflicting warnings about alcohol.
The investigators also found critical warnings were absent from some drug labels and information sheets were confusing, loaded with medical jargon and sometimes unreadable due to tiny print, according to the news release.
Read the Consumer Reports Health news release about drug labels and warnings.
Related Articles on Medication Safety:
JAMA: Joint Commission Patient Safety Goals Should Be Part of Meaningful Use
Oregon Patient Safety Commission's Reporting System Not Widely Utilized
Technical Error Causes Baby's Death at Illinois' Advocate Lutheran General