IV

105TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. RES. 151

To encourage consumers to consult with their pharmacists in connection

with the purchase and use of over-the-counter drug products.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MAY 15, 1997

Mr. CRAPO (for himself, Mr. BERRY, and Mr. WATKINS) submitted the

following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Commerce

RESOLUTION

To encourage consumers to consult with their pharmacists

in connection with the purchase and use of over-thecounter drug products.

1 Resolved,

2 SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

3 The Congress finds the following:

4 (1) The Food and Drug Administration has

5 proposed that the content and format of over-the6 counter (OTC) drug product labels be made more

7 user-friendly to help consumers better understand

8 how to properly use these medications.

9 (2) Almost 60 percent of total OTC drug prod10 uct sales of $20,000,000,000 are made by commu-
2

•HRES 151 IH

1 nity retail pharmacies, where a pharmacist is avail2 able for consultation with the consumer about the

3 product.

4 (3) A significant number of potent prescription

5 medications have been switched to OTC status over

6 the last few years and others are likely to be

7 switched over the next few years. Many consumers

8 may be unaware of the potential problems that may

9 occur when OTC and prescription drugs are inap10 propriately used together, and should be encouraged

11 to consult with their doctor and pharmacist. The

12 pharmacist may have the only complete record of all

13 the medications being taken by the consumer that

14 would help avoid these problems.

15 (4) Pharmacists can help the consumer select

16 the most cost-effective OTC drug product based on

17 the symptoms presented to the pharmacist.

18 (5) Interaction with the pharmacist on using

19 OTC drug product is particularly important for

20 older Americans, who already use one-third of all

21 prescription drug products and one-third of OTC

22 drug products. As the population ages, older Ameri23 cans are expected to use almost half of all OTC drug

24 products by the year 2000. According to recent stud25 ies, the health care system, including the Medicaid
3

•HRES 151 IH

1 and Medicare programs, incur billions of dollars in

2 unnecessary costs each year as a result of medica3 tion-related problems.

4 (6) The importance of consumer interaction

5 with the pharmacist about OTC drug products was

6 recognized by Congress when it required that Medic7 aid prospective drug utilization review programs in8 clude screening for ‘‘serious interactions with non9 prescription or OTC medications’’.

10 (7) Encouraging pharmacist interaction with

11 consumers on OTC drug products is consistent with

12 recent attempts by consumer groups, the pharmacy

13 community, and the Food and Drug Administration

14 to increase the quality and quantity of written and

15 oral information being provided to consumers with

16 their prescription medications.

17 SEC. 2. CONSULTATION.

18 It is the sense of the House of Representatives that

19 the Secretary of Health and Human Services should take

20 such action as may be appropriate to encourage consumers

21 to consult with their pharmacists in connection with the

22 purchase and use of over-the-counter drug products.

Æ