Nationwide Public Awareness Campaign to Educate Seniors About Proper Use of OTC Medicines Launched By National Council on the Aging and The Quigley Corporation
Posted on: Tuesday, 1 November 2005, 09:00 CST
DOYLESTOWN, Pa., Nov. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Seniors aged 65 and older are the leading consumers of over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription (Rx) medicines so a new public awareness campaign aims to educate this community about proper use of these drugs. "Seniors and Medicine: Proper Use for Good Health" is an education initiative from the National Council on the Aging (NCOA) and The Quigley Corporation that launches this month with a series of seminars at senior centers across the country. The goal of the campaign is to educate seniors about drug interactions and possible side effects of the most popular OTC remedies.
A staggering number of seniors, 243,000, end up in the hospital each year due to detrimental reactions caused by the combination of OTC and Rx medicines. It is essential for seniors to be aware of how different medicines interact with one another, as well as their impact on a variety of medical conditions. Further, an increasing number of prescription medicines are gaining OTC status resulting in a delay in patients seeking medical consultation for potentially serious conditions. "Seniors and Medicine: Proper Use for Good Health" is designed to make people ages 65 and older aware of such factors while also providing proper safety education.
"With more than 36 million Americans age 65 and over, we feel it is imperative to educate seniors about the possible side effects that can occur by mixing prescribed and over-the-counter medicines," said James P. Firman, president and CEO of NCOA. "The campaign will not only provide this type of information, but will also leave older Americans with resources they can refer to daily with questions."
Along with the seminars, the campaign will include an interactive web site and helpful materials for distribution. The first of the seminars will take place in New York City on November 15 at The Burden Center. Serving as the program's spokesperson will be Dr. Michael Freedman, Director, Division of Geriatrics at both New York University Medical Center and Bellevue Hospital Center as well as the Director at The Diane and Arthur Belfer Geriatric Center.
"Forty percent of all over-the-counter medicines are purchased by the senior community, so in our continuing search to meet the needs of our consumers, we at The Quigley Corporation conducted a safety study on our line of cold remedies," said Guy Quigley, president and CEO of The Quigley Corporation. "The results led us to partner with the NCOA on this campaign, and we are confident it will make a huge difference in people's lives."
About NCOA
Founded in 1950, The National Council on the Aging is a national network of organizations and individuals dedicated to improving the health and independence of older persons, and to increasing their continuing contributions to communities, society and future generations. For more information on NCOA, visit http://www.ncoa.org/. The NCOA president and CEO is James Firman.
About The Quigley Corporation
The Quigley Corporation is a diversified natural health medical science company. Its Cold Remedy segment is a leading marketer and manufacturer of lozenges, gums and sugar free tablets clinically proven to cut the common cold nearly in half. Its customers include leading national wholesalers and distributors, as well as independent and chain food, drug and mass merchandise stores and pharmacies. The Quigley Corporation has four (4) wholly owned subsidiaries. Darius International markets health and wellness products through its wholly owned subsidiary, InnerLight Inc. Quigley Manufacturing Inc. consists of two FDA approved facilities to manufacture lozenges as well as fulfill other contract manufacturing opportunities. Quigley Pharma Inc. (http://www.quigleypharma.com/) conducts research in order to develop and commercialize a pipeline of patented botanical and naturally derived prescription drugs.
Contact: Alissa Pinck/Diedre Schremp G.S. Schwartz & Co. (212) 725-4500 ext. 315/324 apinck@schwartz.com dschremp@schwartz.com
Quigley Corporation
CONTACT: Alissa Pinck, ext. 315, or apinck@schwartz.com, or DiedreSchremp, ext. 324, or dschremp@schwartz.com, both of G.S. Schwartz & Co.,+1-212-725-4500, for The Quigley Corporation
Web site: http://www.ncoa.org/
Web site: http://www.quigleyco.com/
Source: PRNewswire-FirstCall
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