European Commission wants clearer rules for patient information on prescription medicines

With the aim of empowering patients, the European Commission yesterday adopted revised proposals clarifying the information that the pharmaceutical industry can supply to the public on prescription-only medicines.

Patients are increasingly interested in learning more about the medicines they take and want more of a say in how they are treated, says the Commission. At the same time, they are confronted with a growing volume of information from various sources and often find it difficult to identify reliable information about medicines. The increased use of the Internet over recent years makes the need for clarity even more important. On-line information on medicines must be accurate and reliable.

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