PharmaceuticalsA new directive from the European Union will make it mandatory for all pharmaceutical products for human use to be provided with Braille information on the package from October 2005.
Welcoming the announcement, Des Kenny, chief executive of the National Council for the Blind of Ireland (NCBI), said: "We have long been campaigning with our sister agencies throughout Europe for the introduction of Braille and large print labelling on medicine labels, not merely as an equality issue but also as one which affects the health and safety of people with vision impairments. While this is a significant step towards making information on pharmaceutical products accessible, there is more that needs to be done regarding the introduction of large print, telephone help lines and websites containing product information."
A European study recently found that one in five of the adult population (21 per cent) rising to three in four (73 per cent) of people with sight problems are potentially at risk as they struggle to read labels and instructions on medicines or letters from their doctor. However, from October 2005, people with vision impairments will be able to determine for themselves information pertaining to pharmaceutical products, whether prescribed and provided by a pharmacy or sold over the counter.
Details on the new labelling directive are available on www.ncbi.ie, on 1850 33 43 53 or by emailing info@ncbi.ie