The best-known drug reference book is probably the Physicians' Desk Reference, available in print, on Lexis (LEXREF;PDR) and on Westlaw (PDR). Also notable is The Merck Index, available in print and through several online vendors (just be careful the online vendor has the current edition). The University of Houston lists other good drug reference books.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration provides information on approved drugs through Drugs@FDA and in the Orange Book: Approved Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations.
You can get more online drug information from Medlineplus, RxList, Epocrates Online and United States Pharmacopeia. Company, industry and research news, plus drug development tracking, is available on Dialog.
Note: There are also "special" PDRs, notably PDR Generics, PDR for Nonprescription Drugs and PDR Medical Dictionary. Like the main PDR, they are all published and sold by Medical Economics.
To see which drugs are under development, check out the list of clinical trials is posted at Center Watch and/or ClinicalTrials.gov.
To see how effective a drug is compared to its peers, see the AARP's Effectiveness and Safety of Prescription Drugs and/or Consumer Union's Best Buy Drugs.
You can search for drug-related news articles using the Pharmaceutical News Index on Dialog (File 42).
Licensing: To find out whether a pharmacist, pharmacy or drug distributor is licensed in a particular state, contact the relevant state Board of Pharmacy and/or check their Web site. Lists of Pharmacy Boards are posted by the National Association of Pharmacy Boards and hireRx.
License and Supply Agreements: Pharmaceutical License Agreements and Supply Agreements for public companies are retrievable by searching the exhibits in a good SEC filings database.
Manufacturers and Pricing: To find out who manufactures a drug, look in Drug Facts and Comparisons and/or the Drug Topics Redbook. To find the biggest drug companies, the Scrip 100 ranks the top 100 companies by global sales. The current price of drugs are posted online at Medicare.gov. For historical prices, look in back volumes of the annual Drug Topics Redbook (Medical Economics) or the monthly Price Alert (Medi-Span). Comparable pricing information is available in electronic format for a flat fee from Medi-Span and First Databank. Note: First Databank stopped publishing the "Blue Book" (i.e., the Essential Directory of Pharmaceuticals in the late 1990s.
News: Elsevier Reports runs a series of "Sheets" that provide news targeted to segments of the pharmaceuticals industry. These include: The Blue Sheet (government and private biomedical research programs); The Gold Sheet (pharmaceutical manufacturing); The Gray Sheet (medical devices); The Green Sheet (pharmacy) The Pink Sheet (prescription and over the counter pharmaceuticals); The Rose Sheet (toiletries and skin care products); and The Tan Sheet (non-prescription drugs and nutritional products). Articles are available through Elsevier Business Intelligence.
Most of the Sheets are also available through some Lexis subscription plans.
Safety & Recalls: To check on a drug's safety record in the U.S., check the FDA's Index to Drug-Specific Information, Recalls, Market Withdrawals, & Safety Alerts and the
FDAble Search for Drug Adverse Events. Also check the private AdverseEvents database.
Safety & Recalls: To check on a drug's safety record in the U.S., check the FDA's Index to Drug-Specific Information, Recalls, Market Withdrawals, & Safety Alerts and the
FDAble Search for Drug Adverse Events. Also check the private AdverseEvents database.
Sales figures: Each Spring the periodical Drug Topics runs an annual list of the "Top 200" U.S. brand name and generic drugs by sales and by units in a number of markets (retail sales, hospitals, etc.). Drug Topics is available on Lexis and Westlaw. Other sources for information include news databases, analyst reports and annual reports by leading pharmaceutical companies.
SDI's VONA (the successor to the Scott-Levin Source Prescription Audit) compiles more comprehensive data on U.S. drug sales but sell them only to subscribers. IMS Health compiles global sales figures on prescription drug sales.
See also the separate entry for Market Share.
Testing: The leading book on laboratory testing is the Laboratory Test Handbook by Jacobs & DeMott. Another notable book is Mosby's Diagnostic and Laboratory Test Reference. To find other books on how to test for pharmaceuticals use the subject heading, "Diagnosis, laboratory -- Handbooks." To find books on how to test for illegal drugs, use the subject heading, "Drugs -- Testing."
Warning Letters: U.S. Food and Drug Administration Warning Letters are available through the FDA Web site and through a number of Thompson online subscription products, including the FDA Enforcement Manual.