Progress Made in Implementing Recommendations Intended to Prevent Acetaminophen Overdose

Compelling progress has been made by stakeholders seeking to address the public health issue of acetaminophen overdose, indicates a white paper published by the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP). In 2011, NCPDP made recommendations that the health care industry take actions to support the safe use of acetaminophen, including recommending that pharmacies produce prescription labels with the complete spelling of acetaminophen, eliminating use of abbreviations such as “acet” or “APAP.”

In July 2010, NABP recommended that “state boards of pharmacy prohibit the use of the abbreviation ‘APAP’ on prescription labels, and require that ‘acetaminophen’ be spelled out to assist in preventing the well-recognized danger of acetaminophen induced hepatotoxicity.” The recommendation was based on established policy and a letter, sent by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to state boards of pharmacy, regarding the pharmacist’s role in educating patients about acetaminophen induced hepatotoxicity caused by unintentional overdose. The recommendation was also consistent with the report of the NABP Task Force on Uniform Prescription Labeling, which made recommendations to encourage use of prescription labels that are organized in a patient-centered manner.

NCPDP reports that pharmacy retailers “estimated to collectively represent more than half of the prescriptions dispensed in 2011, have either implemented or committed to a phased implementation” of the recommendation to use the complete spelling of acetaminophen on prescription labels. “This update to our white paper provides additional guidance for those industry stakeholders who have not yet implemented the new pharmacy labeling practices for acetaminophen-containing medicines,” states Lee Ann Stember, president, NCPDP. The updated white paper is accompanied by a bulletin developed for pharmacists that summarizes some of NCPDP’s key recommendations regarding acetaminophen. In addition, the white paper includes a list of resources for pharmacists to use in educating staff and pharmacy staff to use in educating patients (see Appendix D of the white paper). More information is available in an NCPDP news release.