The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has proposed new requirements to make it easier for patients to understand medications.

The agency released a one-page document highlighting the essential information for prescription drugs, including:

  • Drug name
  • Summary of uses
  • Important safety information
  • Common side effects
  • Directions for use

The FDA said taking medication incorrectly or not at all leads to about 125,000 deaths in the U.S. each year, accounting for nearly 25% of hospital admissions.

According to Dr. Sue Decotiis, many different things can go wrong for a patient.

“Like a patient taking a drug at the wrong time, under-dose, overdose, or there are reactions between various drugs,” she said.

The proposal could be finalized later in 2023.

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