H.C.R. 5

1

PATIENT AND SAFETY-CENTERED PRESCRIPTION
2 LABELS CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
3 2011 GENERAL SESSION
4 STATE OF UTAH
5 Chief Sponsor: Marie H. Poulson
6 Senate Sponsor: Allen M. Christensen
7
8 LONG TITLE
9 General Description:
10 This concurrent resolution of the Legislature and the Governor urges prescribers,
11 dispensers, manufacturers of drugs, health insurers, and government agencies generally
12 to take specific steps to improve patient and safety-centered prescription labels.
13 Highlighted Provisions:
14 This resolution:
15 . urges individuals to assume primary responsibility for the proper and safe use,
16 storage, and disposal of any drug prescribed to them, and to encourage their
17 dispensers to provide adequate instruction on how to fulfill those responsibilities;
18 . urges the Utah Pharmacy Board, the Utah Pharmacists Association, and other
19 related groups to meet regularly during 2011 to develop a prescription label format
20 that is patient- and safety-centered;
21 . urges the Utah Pharmacy Board and the Utah Pharmacists Association to provide
22 project updates and present the improved prescription label format to the
23 Legislature's Business and Labor Interim Committee;
24 . urges pharmacists to encourage patients when they receive a prescribed drug to also
25 receive verbal instructions from the pharmacist on how to safely use and store the
26 prescribed drug;
27 . urges the Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing to survey doctors,

28 pharmacists, and patients to determine whether patients are receiving these instructions; and
29 . urges federal, state, and local agencies to continue working to reduce prescription
30 drug misuse, addiction, and drug-related death, to develop campaigns to educate the
31 public about the dangers of prescription drug misuse, to promote the proper disposal
32 of partially-used or expired prescriptions, to continue developing drop-off sites and
33 other secure and environmentally friendly methods for disposing of unused
34 prescription drugs, and to continue promoting the availability and use of programs
35 that treat prescription drug addiction.
36 Special Clauses:
37 None
38
39 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
40 WHEREAS, the misuse of prescription drugs increases the likelihood of a negative
41 physical reaction, dependency, addiction, overdose, and death;
42 WHEREAS, individuals, as consumers of prescription drugs, should assume the
43 primary responsibility for the proper and safe use, storage, and disposal of any drug prescribed
44 to them;
45 WHEREAS, dispensers of prescription drugs should provide adequate instructions to
46 consumers on how to fulfill their responsibilities regarding the safe use, storage, and disposal
47 of prescription drugs;
48 WHEREAS, patient- and safety-centered prescription labels decrease the chance for
49 misuse of prescribed drugs;
50 WHEREAS, patient- and safety-centered labels should include improved directions for
51 use with wording that is easily understood by a non-medical professional or individual;
52 WHEREAS, properly and safely storing prescription medications reduces the potential
53 for misuse, abuse, and theft;
54 WHEREAS, properly disposing of unused medications, by the expiration date, reduces
55 the potential for misuse, abuse, and theft; and
56 WHEREAS, prescribers, dispensers, manufacturers, health insurers, and government
57 agencies are each in a position to improve prescription drug patient safety:
58 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the State of Utah, the

59 Governor concurring therein, urge individuals, as consumers of prescription drugs, to assume
60 the primary responsibility for the proper and safe use, storage, and disposal of any drug
61 prescribed to them, and to encourage their prescription drug dispensers to provide adequate
62 instructions on how to fulfill those responsibilities.
63 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor urge the Utah
64 Pharmacy Board, the Utah Pharmacists Association, and other related parties to meet during
65 2011 to design a prescription label that is patient-centered and contains directions for safe use,
66 including the purpose of the medication, that employ simple and clear terms that can be easily
67 understood by non-medical professionals or individuals and improved font types and sizes to
68 meet the needs of those who are visually impaired.
69 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor urge the Utah
70 Pharmacy Board and the Utah Pharmacists Association to provide updates on the progress of
71 this project and present the improved prescription label format to the Business and Labor
72 Interim Committee by November 2011.
73 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor urge pharmacists,
74 as dispensers of prescription drugs, to encourage patients when they receive a prescribed drug
75 to also receive verbal instructions from the pharmacist on how to safely use the prescribed
76 drug, including the potential for dangerous interactions with other medications and substances,
77 where to find pertinent information on the prescription drug label, including prescription
78 number, directions, the purpose of the medication, as indicated by the physician, warning
79 labels, quantity, expiration date, refills remaining, pharmacy contact information and provider,
80 how to safely store and dispose of any unused portion of the prescription, including how to
81 protect family members and others from any unintentional or intentional misuse of the drug,
82 how to recognize any signs of dependency or addiction and the importance of reporting those
83 signs to the prescriber, and the legal prohibitions against sharing or selling any portion of the
84 prescription.
85 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor urge the Division
86 of Occupational and Professional Licensing, as division resources permit, to survey doctors,
87 pharmacists, and patients to determine whether patients are receiving appropriate instructions
88 on the safe use, storage, and disposal of prescription drugs and potential drug interactions.
89 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor urge federal,

90 state, and local agencies, as entities created to protect the public, to continue working, on their
91 own and through multi-agency projects like the Utah Prescription Pain Medication
92 Management and Education Program and the Utah Pharmaceutical Drug Crime Project, to
93 reduce prescription drug misuse, addiction, and death, to continue developing campaigns such
94 as "Use Only as Directed" and "Clean Out the Cabinet," to educate the public about the dangers
95 of prescription drug misuse, the importance of reading the prescription drug label and using
96 only as directed, to promote the disposal of partially used or expired prescriptions, to continue
97 developing drop-off sites and other secure and environmentally friendly methods for disposing
98 of unused prescription drugs, and to continue promoting the availability and use of programs
99 that treat prescription drug addiction.
100 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of the resolution be sent to the Utah
101 Pharmacy Board, the Utah Pharmacists Association, the Utah Medical Association, the Utah
102 Food Industry Association, the Utah Retail Merchants Association, the Utah Health Insurance
103 Association, the Employers Council, the ERISA Industry Committee, the National Association
104 of Boards of Pharmacy, the National Federation of Independent Business, the Business and
105 Labor Interim Committee, the Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing, the Utah
106 Department of Health, the Utah Department of Human Services, the Utah Association of Local
107 Health Departments, and the United States Department of Health and Human Services.




Legislative Review Note
as of 1-26-11 9:02 AM

Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel