Written By: Hanan Khalaf. RPH

Drug formularies are continually revised list of medications, and associated information that are available within an institution, and reflect the current clinical judgment of the medical staff.

The formulary system, on the other hand, is the method of evaluation and selection of drugs that are most useful in patient care among all drug entities. This method, which requires the application of various techniques to ensure high quality and cost-effective drug therapy, is mediated by the medical staff of an institution, through pharmacy and therapeutic committee (P&T committee).

The formulary drugs are usually made available through the pharmacy. Pharmacists play a primary role in assessing the relative safety and efficacy of drugs. Pharmaceuticals nominated for addition to, or deletion from the formulary. Obviously, this requires a thorough and critical review of the pharmaceutical and medical literature.

The physical representation of the formulary can be as a hard copy or online computer-accessible. In either the way, it should be easily readable and visually pleasing. There is no standard format for all formularies, however, typical formulary might include:

Information on organizational policies and procedure concerning drugs.

Drug product list.

Special information.