Table 1.
Mean values of the three readability indexes and total length for package leaflet (n=36) and year studied.
| Medicine | SMOG grade, mean (SD) | Flesch-Kincaid grade level, mean (SD) | Szigriszt’s perspicuity index, mean (SD) | Length | ||||||||
|
|
2007 | 2010 | 2013 | 2007 | 2010 | 2013 | 2007 | 2010 | 2013 | 2007 | 2010 | 2013 |
| Agalsidase alfa | 16.6 (3.5) | 16.6 (3.5) | 16.6 (3.5) | 16.4 (3.8) | 16.3 (4.0) | 16.0 (3.6) | 58.4 (12.3) | 58.9 (13.5) | 60.2 (12.6) | 905 | 907 | 940 |
| Agalsidase beta | 18.4 (3.1) | 18.0 (5.1) | 18.4 (4.8) | 19.5 (3.6) | 18.5 (6.2) | 18.2 (5.6) | 45.4 (11.6) | 50.5 (21.7) | 51.6 (19.3) | 986 | 851 | 1131 |
| Anakinra | 14.8 (1.7) | 14.8 (1.7) | 15.2 (1.5) | 13.3 (1.9) | 13.4 (1.8) | 13.6 (1.8) | 68.4 (8.0) | 68.1 (8.1) | 67.3 (7.9) | 1349 | 1429 | 1584 |
| Basiliximab | 17.0 (3.6) | 17.2 (4.7) | 17.2 (4.7) | 16.6 (3.8) | 16.5 (5.3) | 16.7 (5.6) | 56.3 (13.5) | 58.5 (19.7) | 58.0 (20.6) | 975 | 949 | 970 |
| Choriogonadotropin alfa | 16.8 (1.9) | 16.8 (1.9) | 17.6 (2.6) | 16.3 (2.8) | 16.3 (2.8) | 17.4 (3.6) | 56.0 (12.1) | 56.0 (12.1) | 52.9 (15.6) | 1217 | 1217 | 1705 |
| Darbepoetin alfa | 16.3 (1.8) | 16.2 (1.3) | 16.5 (1.4) | 15.4 (2.3) | 15.0 (2.4) | 15.5 (2.5) | 60.8 (8.9) | 62.1 (10.4) | 59.9 (10.4) | 2326 | 2125 | 2324 |
| Desirudin | 16.2 (1.3) | 17.6 (2.7) | 17.6 (2.7) | 15.2 (1.6) | 16.8 (3.2) | 16.8 (3.2) | 60.9 (6.7) | 55.9 (11.9) | 55.9 (11.9) | 1253 | 1167 | 1167 |
| Epoetin beta | 16.6 (2.1) | 16.4 (2.7) | 16.4 (1.7) | 16.2 (2.7) | 15.5 (2.6) | 15.6 (2.6) | 56.6 (10.4) | 60.0 (10.5) | 59.8 (10.5) | 2587 | 2529 | 2579 |
| Eptacog alfa (activated) | 15.2 (1.8) | 16.2 (1.8) | 16.2 (1.8) | 14.5 (2.1) | 15.5 (2.3) | 15.4 (2.2) | 63.7 (8.2) | 62.1 (7.1) | 62.7 (6.7) | 1158 | 1426 | 1431 |
| Eptotermin alfa | 18.6 (3.9) | 18.6 (3.5) | 16.8 (1.6) | 18.1 (5.4) | 18.1 (5.1) | 16.1 (1.8) | 52.8 (17.4) | 53.7 (15.5) | 59.0 (6.0) | 1432 | 1608 | 1057 |
| Etanercept | 17.2 (2.8) | 17.5 (2.7) | 18.2 (2.9) | 16.5 (3.8) | 16.5 (3.3) | 16.9 (3.4) | 58.3 (13.7) | 58.6 (12.1) | 58.6 (11.4) | 3109 | 3973 | 4555 |
| Follitropin alfa | 17.8 (2.6) | 17.8 (2.6) | 17.5 (3.1) | 17.6 (3.3) | 17.6 (3.3) | 17.2 (3.8) | 51.8 (12.5) | 51.8 (12.5) | 54.2 (15.4) | 2560 | 2561 | 3278 |
| Human coagulation factor IX | 16.6 (1.9) | 16.8 (2.2) | 16.8 (2.2) | 16.0 (1.9) | 16.2 (2.3) | 16.2 (2.3) | 57.4 (7.3) | 57.2 (9.3) | 57.1 (9.3) | 1737 | 1874 | 1874 |
| Human protein C | 17.6 (2.9) | 17.6 (2.9) | 17.8 (3.2) | 17.0 (3.4) | 17.0 (3.5) | 17.0 (3.5) | 55.0 (12.0) | 55.4 (12.1) | 55.5 (12.3) | 1761 | 1760 | 1768 |
| Imiglucerase | 18.2 (2.2) | 18.0 (3.5) | 18.2 (3.7) | 18.0 (2.2) | 17.9 (4.1) | 17.9 (4.1) | 50.4 (8.3) | 51.8 (13.7) | 51.9 (13.9) | 1155 | 1062 | 1119 |
| Infliximab | 17.8 (2.9) | 17.6 (4.8) | 17.8 (5.3) | 18.3 (3.2) | 17.1 (5.6) | 17.4 (6.1) | 48.4 (12.0) | 55.2 (18.7) | 54.1 (20.1) | 2289 | 2701 | 3134 |
| Interferon alfa-2b | 17.7 (3.4) | 17.8 (3.3) | 17.5 (3.1) | 16.6 (3.7) | 16.6 (3.9) | 16.7 (3.8) | 57.7 (13.9) | 57.5 (14.5) | 57.2 (14.4) | 3833 | 4006 | 4146 |
| Interferon beta-1a | 17.6 (2.5) | 15.5 (1.8) | 15.3 (1.5) | 16.8 (2.8) | 14.1 (2.2) | 14.1 (2.2) | 55.4 (10.8) | 64.7 (9.3) | 64.6 (9.1) | 2640 | 2591 | 2630 |
| Interferon beta-1b | 17.3 (2.7) | 17.7 (3.1) | 17.7 (3.1) | 16.8 (2.7) | 17.0 (4.0) | 16.9 (4.0) | 55.6 (9.8) | 55.8 (14.1) | 55.8 (14.3) | 4868 | 5463 | 5450 |
| Lutropin alfa | 17.8 (2.9) | 17.8 (2.9) | 17.8 (3.0) | 17.1 (3.4) | 17.3 (3.6) | 17.1 (3.2) | 54.7 (12.4) | 53.5 (13.3) | 54.0 (11.5) | 1794 | 2110 | 2346 |
| Moroctocog alfa | 18.0 (3.5) | 17.6 (1.3) | 18.2 (1.9) | 17.2 (3.7) | 16.5 (2.0) | 16.9 (2.2) | 54.1 (13.6) | 57.0 (8.1) | 55.5 (8.7) | 1604 | 2169 | 2164 |
| Nonacog alfa | 17.0 (1.4) | 16.8 (1.6) | 17.2 (1.9) | 16.2 (1.8) | 15.7 (2.7) | 16.2 (2.7) | 58.1 (8.0) | 60.5 (10.5) | 58.3 (10.4) | 2490 | 2743 | 2432 |
| Octocog alfa | 17.6 (2.9) | 17.4 (2.3) | 17.4 (2.3) | 17.3 (2.6) | 17.1 (2.7) | 16.8 (2.0) | 52.9 (8.6) | 53.3 (10.4) | 54.8 (7.2) | 2029 | 2403 | 2249 |
| Palivizumab | 15.6 (2.5) | 16.6 (3.3) | 16.6 (3.3) | 15.3 (2.7) | 15.9 (4.2) | 16.0 (4.3) | 61.0 (11.8) | 59.3 (18.2) | 59.4 (18.2) | 548 | 526 | 534 |
| Pegfilgrastim | 15.5 (1.6) | 16.2 (2.6) | 15.7 (2.3) | 14.3 (2.4) | 14.7 (3.0) | 14.3 (2.7) | 65.4 (9.8) | 65.3 (9.7) | 66.1 (9.0) | 1532 | 1623 | 1521 |
| Peginterferon alfa-2a | 17.3 (5.4) | 15.8 (1.6) | 16.2 (2.0) | 16.1 (6.5) | 14.5 (2.5) | 14.8 (2.6) | 60.5 (21.2) | 64.4 (12.3) | 63.8 (11.7) | 3005 | 3545 | 4151 |
| Peginterferon alfa-2b | 17.7 (4.5) | 18.5 (5.0) | 18.7 (5.8) | 17.5 (5.0) | 18.1 (6.9) | 18.6 (7.3) | 53.8 (16.2) | 52.6 (18.5) | 52.1 (22.2) | 3821 | 4976 | 5752 |
| Rasburicase | 16.2 (1.9) | 17.8 (3.4) | 18.0 (3.5) | 15.7 (3.2) | 17.3 (4.1) | 17.7 (4.1) | 57.4 (14.0) | 53.3 (15.8) | 52.1 (16.1) | 766 | 714 | 745 |
| Reteplase | 16.8 (2.5) | 16.8 (2.5) | 16.8 (2.5) | 15.9 (2.6) | 15.9 (2.6) | 15.9 (2.6) | 60.4 (9.9) | 60.4 (9.9) | 60.4 (9.9) | 1847 | 1905 | 1905 |
| Rituximab | 16.2 (2.9) | 17.4 (4.5) | 18.0 (4.8) | 15.0 (3.0) | 16.6 (5.3) | 17.1 (5.6) | 64.0 (10.8) | 59.0 (17.3) | 57.7 (17.7) | 1505 | 2109 | 2702 |
| Somatropin | 17.0 (2.9) | 17.0 (2.9) | 17.5 (3.8) | 16.7 (3.6) | 16.7 (3.6) | 17.4 (4.7) | 54.9 (15.3) | 54.9 (15.1) | 53.4 (17.2) | 4041 | 4043 | 4388 |
| Sulesomab | 16.2 (3.3) | 16.6 (2.5) | 16.6 (3.2) | 17.9 (2.2) | 17.2 (2.5) | 17.1 (3.0) | 45.9 (12.2) | 51.4 (10.2) | 51.6 (11.6) | 800 | 955 | 962 |
| Tasonermin | 19.2 (2.5) | 17.8 (3.6) | 18.6 (3.8) | 19.4 (2.9) | 16.9 (4.1) | 18.1 (4.3) | 47.6 (9.7) | 56.9 (18.0) | 52.7 (14.5) | 2168 | 1433 | 1456 |
| Tenecteplase | 17.8 (2.8) | 18.0 (3.2) | 17.4 (1.8) | 17.7 (3.0) | 17.6 (3.4) | 17.0 (2.1) | 51.4 (12.4) | 51.9 (14.3) | 54.6 (10.3) | 878 | 890 | 1270 |
| Thyrotropin alfa | 18.0 (3.6) | 17.2 (3.0) | 17.4 (3.0) | 17.4 (4.4) | 16.4 (3.5) | 16.7 (3.4) | 53.2 (16.8) | 56.8 (14.0) | 55.7 (13.3) | 1219 | 1240 | 1286 |
| Trastuzumab | 17.0 (3.4) | 17.0 (3.7) | 17.4 (3.2) | 16.5 (3.8) | 16.6 (4.0) | 17.0 (3.3) | 58.7 (13.3) | 58.5 (14.3) | 56.1 (10.5) | 1625 | 1699 | 1858 |