This week, I wanted to share my thoughts with you about the FDA’s stepped up  campaign to inform consumers about safety issues with over-the-counter analgesics containing acetaminophen (APAP) and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

As stated on their site, “FDA’s chief concerns are the potential hepatoxicity associated with acetaminophen, and the GI bleeding and renal toxicity associated with NSAIDs. Although these risks are rare, they’re largely preventable. And so FDA’s campaign is designed to increase the public’s awareness of the potential risks and how to minimize them.”

The FDA has released consumer-oriented tools that discuss the dangers of acetaminophen, a subject of my 1/27/2011 blog. A primary message for the APAP brochures and fact sheets is correct use for individuals with compromised liver function and children-measuring liquid products can sometimes be a challenge.

Frankly, I wish FDA would refocus this largely print campaign to TV and other media to counteract the frequent commercials that advertise yet another new combination product. (The one that woke me up was an ad for Advil or Motrin AM to help get one going in the morning! It no longer seems to be on the market from a brief internet search and a call to a drug manufacturer).

That said, you might find these materials available in English and Spanish useful in several ways.

• You could use them as educational tools for staff, especially home health aides and in-home support staff who often know more about what patients/clients actually take day to day.
• They could be helpful hand-outs at health fairs or other heath promotion activities.
• Pharmacies will also be distributing “A medicine you bought contains acetaminophen” flyers at point of sale.

As always, staff involved in medication reconciliation can really help identify therapeutic duplication by reading the labels of those OTCs while compiling a med list. Not a small task, given that APAP alone is in more than 600 products!

Learn more about the tools from the FDA’s Safe Use of OTC Pain Relievers by clicking here.

CHAMP also has additional tools related to medication safety that might be helpful for your agency.

Dennee Frey, CHAMP Pharmacy Expert