The physician's desk reference is a special line of products that include all brand name medications currently in use that have been approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA), along with all generic substitutes that have been approved for use on patients.
The FDA is responsible for preserving the health of the public through regulating and supervising prescription drugs among its many tasks. There is a period of testing and evaluation that must take place before a new drug can be put on the approved list and be available to doctors in this country.
Side effects of any drug must be noted and if they prove too severe or can threaten the life of patients, they are not allowed on the list. This is a subjective process in many ways and the agency has come under fire in recent years for having such a slow process in approving new drugs.
This has led to many people with diseases in the United States and other countries to seek experimental treatments in other countries for diseases such as cancer and muscular dystrophy. Many countries do not have such a stringent process for drugs that can be prescribed and new treatments in these countries have shown mixed success at best.
Every practicing physician in the United States is bound by the references made by the FDA and must stay in line with their rules and regulations in order to keep their practices. The FDA is exploring new options in testing new drugs so if they are proven effective, can be on the physician's desk reference faster so they can be made available to the public. Look for new drugs to move through the testing phase faster in the next few years.
- FDA
The FDA is responsible for preserving the health of the public through regulating and supervising prescription drugs among its many tasks. There is a period of testing and evaluation that must take place before a new drug can be put on the approved list and be available to doctors in this country.
Side effects of any drug must be noted and if they prove too severe or can threaten the life of patients, they are not allowed on the list. This is a subjective process in many ways and the agency has come under fire in recent years for having such a slow process in approving new drugs.
This has led to many people with diseases in the United States and other countries to seek experimental treatments in other countries for diseases such as cancer and muscular dystrophy. Many countries do not have such a stringent process for drugs that can be prescribed and new treatments in these countries have shown mixed success at best.
Every practicing physician in the United States is bound by the references made by the FDA and must stay in line with their rules and regulations in order to keep their practices. The FDA is exploring new options in testing new drugs so if they are proven effective, can be on the physician's desk reference faster so they can be made available to the public. Look for new drugs to move through the testing phase faster in the next few years.