A need to be fulfilled:Drug Information services

There are a growing number of drugs and vast literature coming through every day. Clinicians are hard pressed to keep up with all the recent advents due to shortage of time, however, for safe and efficacious use of medicines, unbiased, up to date and objective information about the drugs is essential. Medicines are now considered as active substances. Information obtained from manufacturers is liable to be biased, and in the present day of therapeutic and information explosion, a quick referral to a pharmacopoeia or formularies is hardly sufficient for adequate information on the vast number of drugs and dosage forms available in the market in all the different brand names. The lack of adequate drug information due to limited availability of current literature, and poor documentation and dissemination of the little available information leads to an unbiased and current drug references which were not available in most clinical facilities and to officials and committees developing drug lists and making procurement decisions. The irrational use of drugsare still in evidence as use of expired drugs, irrational combination of drugs, and overuse of antibiotics, Vitamins, herbal remedies, brand prescribing, retail shop prescribing and unethical dispensing. Such irrational practices, combined with lack of patientinformation on proper handling and use of drugs can lead to wastage of medicine as well as other serious consequences like adverse drug reactions and drug interactions. . In view of the above mentioned facts, fully active, unbiased and objective drug information services are the need of the hour and it is the objective of this study to determine the various drug information services available in present day sceneario.