Press Release : PPLA
Washington, DC (February 15, 2024) – Today, the Pharmaceutical Printed Literature Association (PPLA) highlighted the critical importance of printed Patient Medication Information (PMI) for patient safety in rural areas. Proposals to shift PMI to digital-only formats are particularly dangerous for patients in rural areas who often lack access to reliable broadband.
Additionally, a recent report highlighted the worsening outlook for the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Affordable Connectivity Program, underscoring why proposals to eliminate PMI in favor of online formats like QR codes are deeply flawed and will disproportionately harm Americans in rural, unconnected areas.
“Rural residents face numerous unique social determinants of health and challenges by virtue of where they live. Many rural areas still lack broadband access, and where broadband is available, it may not be affordable for many rural households. Additionally, rural areas face higher poverty rates and lower educational attainment compared to urban areas, often leading to lower health literacy rates as well. Also, rural populations tend to skew older than urban and suburban populations, meaning rural residents may be more likely to take prescription medications, including multiple medications. These factors make simple, printed patient medication information (PMI) an important resource for rural patients to understand and safely manage their prescriptions. Forcing rural patients to rely upon digital or online PMI could lead to worse or dangerous health outcomes if they do not have convenient access to this important information. Consistent, straightforward, and easy to understand PMI formats are crucial to ensuring that rural patients know how to safely and effectively take medications” – National Rural Health Association (NRHA)
Dr. John Whyte, chief medical officer of WebMD and the former director of professional affairs and stakeholder Engagement at FDA, argued that a recently proposed FDA rule that attempts to improve PMI actually fails to guarantee access to PMI:
“As a practicing physician, as someone who has worked at the FDA, you want to make sure that people have the best information at point-of-care…If it’s just digital, that’s not going to work for many people, for some seniors, for people that live in rural, underserved communities that may not have high-speed internet, that may not have all the tools to read it online.” – Dr. John Whyte
Insufficient understanding of medications leads to errors, many of which are fatal. 50% of patients with chronic conditions experience medication non-adherence, which takes over 100,000 lives every year.
To help protect patients’ health and safety, we support the Patients’ Right to Know Their Medication Act (H.R. 1173) introduced by Reps. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-GA), Bruce Westerman (R-AR), Jared Golden (D-ME), and Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD).
H.R. 1173 has been cosponsored by Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Yvette Clarke (D-NY), David Trone (D-MD), Terri Sewell (D-AL), Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ), Chris Pappas (D-NH), Jill Tokuda (D-HI), Brad Schneider (D-IL), and Mary Sattler Peltola (D-AK), a bipartisan coalition that understands the importance of serving their rural constituencies.
The Pharmaceutical Printed Literature Association
Chartered in 2001, the PPLA serves as the voice for our members, advocating for patient safety and risk communication by fighting to keep information on paper and readily accessible for patients and caregivers. This information helps drive the patient involvement model of health care, helping patients get the maximum benefits from the powerful drugs they take while minimizing risk.
For more information about PPLA, click here.