Providing drug information to health professionals and consumers: role and responsibility of the pharmaceutical manufacturer.
There is no law requiring any pharmaceutical firm to maintain a drug information center for their products. The package insert that accompanies the product is all that is legally mandated. Roche and other drug manufacturers provide these services because they believe it is in their own best interest and that of the users of their products to do so. Pharmacists are currently involved in providing drug information in numerous settings, particularly health sciences schools, hospitals, colleges, federal agencies and associations, as well as corporations. To date, they have been frequent users of company drug information services. It is hoped this discussion will stimulate anyone in need of product information to contact the manufacturer. They have the most complete data available on their products and are generally willing to share their information with other drug information services, practitioners and, in a more limited way, consumers.
D004345:Drug Industry; D004346:Drug Information Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014481:United States