title: Relative drug safety and efficacy: any help for the practitioner?
abstract: Approaches are discussed for assuring that the most useful entity is prescribed when a drug is the treatment of choice. Several attributes of pharmaceutical preparations that are likely to influence health status are mentioned. Three models for increasing drug-of-choice prescribing are discussed: the regulatory model, the formulary model, and the drug use review model. Four options regarding formulary preparation are presented: the federal government, a consortium of professional groups, regional expert committees, or local groups. Research is needed to determine which methods hold promise for increasing the frequency of rational prescribing.
mesh_terms: D004346:Drug Information Services; D004358:Drug Therapy; D004363:Drug Utilization; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; D005569:Formularies as Topic / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D012449:Safety; D014481:United States; D014486:United States Food and Drug Administration; D014600:Utilization Review