More drug info to be made available online

Thanks to funds from a national drug settlement, consumers will have free access to in-depth information about prescription drugs, Attorney General Roy Cooper said today in a release today.

“People need to know a lot more about prescription drugs than what TV ads tell them,” said Cooper. “This will be a source for consumers to get drug information they can discuss with their doctor.”

Cooper and other attorneys general from across the country today announced a $4.4 million grant to Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports, to help fund the Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs program and Web site, www.CRBestBuyDrugs.org.

Consumers can use the Web site to get information on hundreds of prescription drugs used to treat dozens of major medical conditions including high cholesterol, high blood pressure, depression, insomnia, and diabetes. The Web site also compares drugs based on affordability, safety and how well they work.

Consumers should discuss their health conditions with their doctor or medical provider before deciding to switch drugs or take any medication, Cooper cautioned.

The grant will also help expand Consumers Union efforts to work with organizations such as the National Association of Agencies for the Aging to provide free drug safety information to seniors, minorities and low-income consumers.

Today’s grant comes from a $38 million dollar consumer protection settlement between 50 states and Warner-Lambert, now owned by Pfizer, the world’s largest pharmaceutical company.

That settlement was part of a larger May 2004 agreement where Warner-Lambert paid $430 million dollars to resolve allegations that it illegally marketed the drug Neurontin for “off-label” purposes that had not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.