We’ve all went to the drug store in search of remedies to battle the common cold. The choices are endless when it comes to over-the-counter medications to deal with aches, fever, stuffy nose, and sore throats that seem to catch us off guard every year.
“I know none of these things will cure my cold,” Pamela Sonell said as she reached for a bottle of NyQuil on the top shelf of her local drug store. “But I’m hoping it will tone down some of the symptoms and let me get some rest.”
The bottle of NyQuil she bought came equipped with a measuring cup, telling her exactly how much she should take. A variety of medications offer some sort of measuring device whether its a cup, spoon, or dropper. Now the FDA is making sure all of these measuring devices are easy to read.
It’s an effort to make sure consumers, especially young children, aren’t overdosing on any medication.
“Accidental medication overdose in young children is an increasingly common, but preventable public health problem,” said Karen Weiss, M.D., Program Director for the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research’s Safe Use Initiative. “The FDA issued the guidance because of ongoing concerns about the accidental drug overdoses from confusing, unclear or inconsistent labels on measure devices.”
Key recommendations include:
*Dosage delivery devices should be included for all orally ingested OTC liquid drug products.
*Devices should be marked with calibrated units of liquid measurement (e.g., teaspoon, tablespoon, or milliliter) that are the same as the units of liquid measure specified in the directions for the product and there should not be any unnecessary markings.
*Manufacturers should ensure that dosage delivery devices are used only with the products they are packaged with.
*Liquid measure markings on dosage delivery devices should be clearly visible and not obscured when the liquid product is added to the device.
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