Canadian govt move to plain language for drug labeling

Canadian Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq has announced the launch of the Plain Language Labeling Initiative, which aims to improve the safe use of drugs by making drug labels and safety information easier to read and understand.

"Every day millions of Canadians rely on drugs to maintain and improve their health. While medications offer significant benefits, they can also carry some risks," said Minister Aglukkaq, adding: "I am pleased to announce that our government will be making plain language a requirement on drug packages in order to help prevent adverse drug reactions, medication errors and protect Canadian patients."

To work properly and reduce the chance of harm, drugs should be taken according to the information provided on the label or package. Yet, current drug product information can be confusing to follow. Too often, people experience unnecessary harms as a result of drug labels, packaging or names that may be hard to understand or they sound similar to other drugs. As many as 1 in 9 emergency rooms visits are related to drug adverse events, and as many as 68% of those are preventable.