BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Research Center H.B. 948
80R7889 JLL-D By: Davis, Yvonne (Ellis)
AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
The Health and Safety Code requires the label on drugs to contain certain important information such as adequate drug use, warning information for improper use, side effects, and cautionary statements. This information is very important to ensure public awareness of the proper use of prescription drugs. The font size used in printing this vital information is often small and may prevent individuals, especially seniors, from making sound evaluations on the proper usage of prescription drugs.
H.B. 948 requires the Texas State Board of Pharmacy to adopt rules to require the information contained on the label and labeling for prescription drugs to be in plain language and printed in an easily readable font size for the consumer. This bill also requires the information contained on the labeling to be relevant to the prescription.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Section 562.006, Occupations Code, by adding Subsection (c), to require the Texas State Board of Pharmacy (board) to adopt rules requiring the label on a dispensing container to be in plain language and printed in an easily readable font size for the consumer.
SECTION 2. Amends Subchapter A, Chapter 562, Occupations Code, by adding Section 562.0061, as follows:
Sec. 562.0061. OTHER PRESCRIPTION INFORMATION. Requires the board to adopt rules specifying the information a pharmacist must provide to a consumer when dispensing a prescription to the consumer for self-administration. Requires the information to be written in plain language, relevant to the prescription, and printed in an easily readable font size.
SECTION 3. Effective date: September 1, 2007.