Drug Information Resources for Clinicians

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Drug Information

Clinical Pharmacology Online
This site provides timely, concise drug information for medical professionals, with "full" monographs, describing the most common and classic medications in clinical practice as well as "mini" monographs including investigational, less common, combination and nutritional products. It is licensed for DHMC and Dartmouth College.

Drugs.com
This web site offers free access to a comprehensive directory and information database of over 24,000 FDA-approved prescription and OTC drugs. The site also provides access to a drug interaction resource, and pill identifier. Access is free after an initial registration.

WebMD
This is a general website providing a "one stop" access to readable and relevant health information for the consumer. The information covers a wide variety of categories including diseases, diagnostic symptoms, preventive health information, health insurance and drug information. The drug resource also includes references to herbals, as well as product alerts and drug recalls.

GettingWell.com
This site, produced by the publishers of the Physicians Desk Reference, is a consumer-oriented site providing overviews of disease, health and wellness, clinical trials, and drug information. The drug information is taken from the PDR.

USP DI
Information on thousands of prescription and over-the-counter medications provided through two drug resources -- MedMaster, a product of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, and the USP DI Advice for the Patient, a product of the United States Pharmacopeia. The information is of use to consumers and health professionals, and is made available through the National Library of Medicine's MEDLINEplus.

Therapeutics Letter
This bi-monthly newsletter provides physicians and pharmacists with up to date, evidence based, practical information on rational drug therapy. The issues are reviewed by members of the Therapeutics Initiative which was established by the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics in cooperation with the Department of Family Practice at the University of British Columbia.

The Effective Health Care Program
from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
The Effective Health Care Program is dedicated to facilitating decision making by providing findings from high-quality research in formats for different audiences. The site contains summarized reports for consumers, clinicians, and policymakers. It also provides reviews of research and reports of new research.

Drug Effectiveness Review Project
from the Oregon Health & Science University
The Drug Effectiveness Review Project is a collaboration of organizations that have joined together to obtain the best available evidence on effectiveness and safety comparisons between drugs in the same class, and to apply the information to public policy and decision making in local settings.

Drug Names and Alternatives

Medi-lexicon
This site provides access to a dictionary of over 70,000 medical, pharmaceutical, biomedical, and healthcare acronyms and abbreviations.

Street Terms Database
This database contains over 2,300 street terms that refer to specific drug types or drug activity. It is produced by the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Drug Safety and Use

Addictions & Substance Abuse Resources
A resource developed by the Dartmouth Biomedical Libraries.

Center for Drug Evaluation Research (CDER)
CDER is responsible for ensuring that prescription and over-the-counter drugs are safe and effective. The CDER site provides resources on drug approvals, drug equivalents, a national drug code directory, information on drug shortages, and a database of inactive ingredients commonly found in drugs.

MedWatch
MedWatch is the FDA Medical Products Reporting Program, providing information on the safety of drugs and other medical products regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Centers for Education and Research on Therapeutics (CERT)
The mission of CERT is to conduct research and provide education that will advance the optimal use of drugs, medical devices, and biological products. The site provides publications and presentations on this topic. This program is administered by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, in consultation with the Food and Drug Administration.

Nutrients and Supplements

USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference
This resource is a repository of information for 100 nutrients for over 7,300 foods, providing nutritional profiles on specific name brands.

FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
This site offers information on foodborne illnesses from toxins, pathogens and other contaminants. It also contains reporting mechanisms for illnesses from products as well as warnings and safety information on dietary supplements, infant formulas, and medical foods.

Complementary Medicine

Alternative and Complementary Medicine Resources
A resource developed by the Dartmouth Biomedical Libraries.

Materia Medica (Chinese Herb Database)
A database of over 110 herbs used in Chinese medicine. The Chinese Herb Database is part of a larger site on Traditional Chinese Medicine sponsored by Wyith Strategic Holdings Limited.

Botanical.com
This site provides digital access to "A Modern Herbal", by Maud Grieve. Originally published in 1931, provides historical, preparation, and anecdotal information on herbal harvesting and usage.

Clinical Trials for Drugs

CenterWatch
This is a listing of industry-sponsored clinical trials actively recruiting patients. You can use this listing to search for clinical trials by therapeutic area and geographic region. You may also use the Advanced Search feature to locate clinical trials on a specific medical condition.

National Institutes of Health
Basic information on clinical trials as well as access to the NIH clinical trial database.

Internet Pharmacies and Comparative Pricing

Needy Meds
Provides information about pharmaceutical manufacturers' special programs to assist people who can't afford to purchase medications they need.

Medicare Rights - Prescription Drugs
This site provides a list of discount drug programs for Medicare participants. It contains eligibility and benefit information on state prescription drug assistance programs, drug discount cards, as well as internet and mail-order discount pharmacies.

PDA's

ePocrates
Provides a clinical drug database with about 2,800 drug monographs for the PDA. Each monograph includes information on pricing, adverse reactions, contraindications, pharmacokinetics as well as related drug monograph topics. The autoupdate function, which is engaged when the palm pilot is connected to the internet, provides information on new drugs, new indications, and recalls. Available as a free download and for purchase; purchased version has more features.