[indices] FDA Announces the Use of New Electronic Drug Labels

["Libby Levison" <libby@theplateau.com>]

Dear Indices,

The US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) announced last week that they will 
start using electronic drug package inserts ("labels").  This is to better 
inform the public and health care providers and to improve patient safety, 
and will allow the FDA the possibility of releasing "strengthened warnings" and "minor edits".  

All electronic labels will be available on-line and will be searchable to patients -- and anyone, anywhere, which is why this might be of interest to Indices.  The press release is available at:
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2005/NEW01252.html

The label information will be kept by a new interagency online health 
information clearinghouse called "DailyMed".  Their URL is:
http://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov

When I checked this last week, there was only one medicine "label" posted 
-- select either "All" or the letter "E" to see the entry for Edecrin 
(Ethacrynic acid).

Hope this is useful to some when it's fully up & running -- in about a year.

Regards,

Libby Levison
Public Health Consultant
Boston, MA
libby@theplateau.com