DRUG WEBSITE LANGUAGE, DESIGN HINDER UNDERSTANDING OF DRUGS, STUDY SHOWS

Close to half of the U.S. population does not fully understand the information on drug websites that target consumers, according to an analysis -- further evidence of "a serious, serious problem" in consumers' understanding of medicines and how to take them, according to one consumer advocate.

Understanding content on the average drug website requires 12 years of education, meaning that only 55 percent of the U.S. population can fully understand the information provided on these sites, the analysis by healthcare marketing firm Campbell-Ewald Health found. More than three-quarters of the websites do not offer information in Spanish, and only half were designed using standard guidelines to improve the usability and accessibility of websites, the study showed.

"This is not news," Bill Vaughan, senior policy analyst with Consumers Union, said. "The American public are not doctors and have trouble understanding [drug information], and doctors have trouble conveying it, and we all need to work together to do a better job."

The analysis rated 58 drug websites across nine therapeutic categories based on several qualities, including website design, ease of accessing and absorbing the content, whether there is a good overview of the condition the drug treats and how easy it is for consumers to look up signs and symptoms of the disease. The analysis also considers how well an average consumer can understand -- based on the information included on a website -- how a drug works, what to expect when taking the drug and whether warning signs are explained clearly and simply. Other factors the researchers took into account was how well a website accommodates people looking up information for another person, and whether consumers can access research studies and clinical trial data.

The websites that scored the highest, including Byetta.com, Lipitor.com and Seroquel.com, are "clear, easily understood and engaging sites," the study said. "Users can navigate easily, and it is simple to determine where the user is within the site."