FDA rule overlooks impact on patients

I'm proud to serve as the president of Nosco, an employee-owned package printing company that has been in Illinois since its founding in 1906. One of the most important products we produce is printed information for prescriptions that informs patients on everything they need to know about their medicines and medical devices - instructions they can hold in the palm of their hand.

The Food and Drug Administration just proposed a rule that overlooks serious public health and economic consequences. This rule would require patients to access their patient medication information (PMI) online or make pharmacies print the information in a format that reads like an encyclopedia. The rule would also add a substantial amount of work hours to already burdened pharmacists and would make small and family-owned pharmacies struggle to absorb the cost of this new requirement.

When congressmen Sean Casten and Brad Schneider stopped by Nosco facilities to meet with our employees and see for themselves how our company protects patients, we asked them to tell the FDA about two shortcomings in the FDA rule. First, require improved PMI researched and formatted in a way proven to help patients better understand their medications. Second, require drug manufacturers to be responsible for providing PMI.

Nosco, with an operation in Gurnee, is a supporter of the Patients' Right to Know Their Medication Act (H.R. 1173). If the FDA will not modify the proposed rule to address these two concerns, a better choice would be to support and pass this legislation. This legislation provides for a more patient-friendly format than current prescription information and will improve patient understanding of medications. We asked Congressmen Casten and Schneider to support Nosco's perspective.

If our leaders continue fighting for patient safety and job creators, Illinois' future will only get brighter.

Craig Curran

Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin