High numbers in injuries resulting from medication errors cause the FDA to take action

Statistics report that hospital, doctor offices and healthcare clinics average to about 4 million visits a year are due to intentional and unintentional drug overdose.  Approximately 100,000 of those result in hospitalizations and its estimated up to half of those could be prevented.  Dr. Margaret A. Hamburg, the agency commissioner has been reported saying, “ too many people suffer unnecessary injuries from avoidable medication misuse and because of this the FDA is launching the Safe Use Initiative to develop targeted solutions for reducing these injuries.”

To ensure safer use, the FDA has released new guidelines for companies that make or distribute over-the-counter medications.  The guidelines include that medications come with dose delivery devices such as spoons, cups or droppers.  The new dosage guidance is to aid in the confusion about how much of the drug an individual is to take, resulting in fewer accidental overdoses.