Washington, DC (September 5, 2025) – Today, U.S. Representatives Cliff Bentz (R-OR) and Jared Golden (D-ME) reintroduced the Patients’ Right to Know Their Medication Act (HR 5133) in the House of Representatives. This legislation prioritizes patient safety and will guarantee all Americans receive effective and printed medication information with their prescriptions.
“We thank Representatives Bentz and Golden for reintroducing the Patients’ Right to Know Their Medication Act, a bipartisan bill to protect patients’ health and safety,” said Dave Joesten, Board Chairman of PPLA. “With this legislation, lawmakers in the 119th Congress can ensure all Americans have the tools they need to take their medications safely by providing clear, printed information with their prescriptions. We are optimistic Congress will pass the bipartisan bill to improve the health of our nation.”
“In rural Oregon, access to reliable internet or to a pharmacist is not always guaranteed. But what should be guaranteed are clear, printed instructions on how to take your medication safely,” Congressman Cliff Bentz (R-OR) said. “If enacted, this bill will provide patients with accurate, FDA-approved information. This would ensure fewer mistakes, fewer expensive hospital trips, and less strain on families and our small, local pharmacies. Additionally, this is at no cost to the government or to the rural pharmacies. It is a practical improvement that will help rural communities.”
“Mainers shouldn’t have to go out of their way to get the information they need about how their medicine works,” Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) said. “Requiring hard copies of instructions to be included with medicine is a no-brainer to make prescription drugs safer, make treatment easier for families and their pharmacists, and prevent large pharmaceutical corporations from cutting corners at the expense of quality health care.”
“The National Rural Health Association (NRHA) thanks Representatives Bentz and Golden on their work to reintroduce the Patients’ Right to Know Their Medication Act,” said Alan Morgan, CEO of The National Rural Health Association. “NRHA is proud to support this legislation that will ensure rural residents have access to printed information about their medications. Not only will this bill support safe usage of prescription medications, but it also recognizes the importance of printed materials in rural areas where internet access is not always guaranteed or available.”
The bill requires drug manufacturers to provide printed Patient Medication Information (PMI), approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), for every American taking prescription medications. PMI refers to the life-saving information dispensed at the pharmacy detailing a drug’s purpose, instructions for use, and potential side effects. Americans reference PMI to take their medications correctly and safely. The bill requires:
- A one-page, printed, standardized format with FDA-approved content dispenses with all prescription drugs in the outpatient setting.
- Final regulations by the FDA regarding the inclusion of printed paper PMI on all prescription drugs and establishes a clear and standard format of vital information (warnings, side effects, etc.).
- Timely, consistent, and accurate reviews of information as new drugs and new information become available.
The FDA previously proposed two harmful rules that jeopardize patient care. One would eliminate printed Prescribing Information (PI), which is vital for pharmacists to safely serve patients, while the other would restrict access to printed PMI. By shifting PI and PMI to digital formats, the rules would endanger pharmacy care and disproportionately harm low-income, older, and rural patients who often lack access to reliable internet or smartphones needed to use digital resources. The Patients’ Right to Know Their Medication Act would improve well-intentioned but erroneous policies in the FDA’s proposed PMI rule to ensure that all Americans have access to clear, printed PMI at the pharmacy.
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.