Revised: 1 September 2023
Information for Consumers
Where to go for Information About Medicines
You have a right to ask for as much information as you want about the medicines you take. You should make sure you understand the benefits and potential risks of medicines before you start taking them.
If you have questions, concerns or just want to know more about a particular medicine, you can:
- talk to a healthcare professional, such as your doctor, nurse or pharmacist
- contact the pharmaceutical company that markets the medicine. Your pharmacist can help you if the address and phone number of the company is not on the packaging.
Other sources of information include the following.
Consumer Medicine Information (CMI)
This information about a medicine is written in plain language specifically for consumers.
Healthify (formerly Health Navigator)
Healthify contains health information for consumers. The Medicines A-Z page contains easy-to-read information about medicines to help you understand how they work and how to take them.
Medicine data sheets
Data sheets contain detailed information about a medicine. However, because they are written for healthcare professionals, data sheets contain complex medical information and terms that may be difficult to understand.
