You may not know it, but the printing industry constitutes a large portion of the US economy, especially the economy of Texas. Yes, printing. The packaging printing industry in the U.S. amounted to over $365 billion in 2023. Over 1 million jobs in the United States rely on the paper packaging industry. In Texas, the industry’s economic impact surpassed $4 billion. However, a proposed federal regulation could jeopardize all of that economic activity for our state - and it could make it harder for you to understand your medications.
I work for Platinum Press, a healthcare label and packaging company operating a facility in Fort Worth, Texas. We are the leading packaging provider for the U.S. healthcare industry. Every medication and medical device in the United States requires particular labels and packaging with exceedingly high standards. Platinum Press helps healthcare companies meet these high standards.
Congressman Marc Veasey (D-TX) recently visited our Fort Worth facility to witness our essential work. He toured the grounds and spoke with some of our 300 employees about the issues facing our industry. One particularly pertinent issue facing Platinum Press comes from a recent proposal from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that could prove disastrous. If the FDA successfully pushes through its proposal, then serious economic consequences will ensue. Not only that, but the patients who rely on our healthcare products will suffer. That’s unacceptable, and Congressman Veasey should do something about it.
The FDA recently proposed a rule attempting to standardize Patient Medication Information (PMI), or the information attached to prescriptions at the pharmacy with instructions on correctly taking a drug and potential side effects to monitor. That information helps patients stay healthy and avoid medication non-adherence, which cuts short the lives of 125,000 people every year. Medication non-adherence remains a significant public health issue here in Texas as well. Yet, the FDA rule attempts to implement an untested, ineffective PMI design. Even worse, the rule could push all PMI online at the expense of printed versions, endangering patients who reference printed medication information to stay healthy and killing Texas’ printing jobs.
Studies show that the design or format of medication information determines someone’s ability to comprehend that information. The format of PMI, therefore, should allow patients to read and comprehend their medication plans. Despite this, the FDA never tested its proposed design to ensure patient comprehension, despite the crucial import of such a decision. On average, 90 million adults misunderstand the medical details on drug labels at any given time, and the FDA rule could lead to more misunderstandings and place lives at risk.
Studies also show that over 90% of adults taking prescription medication prefer to receive printed instructions. Yet, the FDA’s rule would restrict access to printed medication information by forcing pharmacies, not drug manufacturers, to shoulder the burden of printing PMI on-demand. For the patients who ask, pharmacies would have to spend an additional $1.5 billion and work 71 million more hours yearly. That’s out of the question, especially given the crisis of pharmacy closures nationwide. With these unnecessary burdens, pharmacies may opt to provide PMI through a QR code link, endangering the millions of elderly and low-income Texans without reliable broadband or smartphones who rely on printed medication information when managing their prescriptions. Most patients, though, will not know or remember to ask their pharmacist for PMI and may be left without it.
I hope that Congressman Veasey left Platinum Press’ facility understanding the urgent need for congressional action to protect our industry and American patients. The FDA rule could potentially induce massive layoffs and spike medication non-adherence rates. Congressman Veasey can cosponsor the Patient’s Right to Know Their Medication Act (HR 1173), guaranteeing that all patients receive well-designed PMI printed by the drug manufacturer with every prescription. That way, patients can rest assured that they will have the information they need to stay on top of their medications, and our employees at Platinum Press can continue providing such an essential service.
Andrew Vale is the Vice President of Platinum Press, a supplier of healthcare packaging solutions. The Company is dedicated to the pharmaceutical, medical device and animal care sectors and serves over 100 hundred industry companies from its two facilities.
