Prescription Drugs: Visual Impairment

(asked on 21st July 2014) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to introduce talking labels as standard on medication for blind patients to ensure that they are able to understand their medication.


Answered by
Earl Howe Portrait
Earl Howe
Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
This question was answered on 29th July 2014

The requirements for medicines labelling are set out in European and national legislation. These state that for blind and partially sighted patients, the name must appear in Braille on the packaging and that the package leaflet is made available on request in formats suitable for the blind and partially sighted.

The Government is aware of other technological initiatives which can be used by blind patients to access additional information. However, these are not mandated within the regulations and there are no plans for changes to the current European legal framework.

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