# E-DRUG: Formulary and essential drug list **URL:** \ **Category:** e-drug\ **Created:** [October 11, 1999, 9:54pm UTC](https://talk.edrugplus.org/t/e-drug-formulary-and-essential-drug-list/6277 "1999-10-11T21:54:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jody\_Dalmacion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9dc877/32.png) [@Jody\_Dalmacion](https://talk.edrugplus.org/u/Jody_Dalmacion)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 1999, 9:54pm UTC](https://talk.edrugplus.org/t/e-drug-formulary-and-essential-drug-list/6277/1 "1999-10-11T21:54:14Z")
E-drug: Formulary and essential drug list --------------------------------------------- Greetings from Manila, Philippines and from a new member of e-drug. My subscription to e-drug was triggered by a need to consult with other people working with concerns like essential drugs and PTC. I was given the task to chair a committee that will update our present hospital formulary and I really don't know how to proceed for the simple reason that I have strong reservations about formularies whose drug list is govern by limitations in financial resources rather than by rationality of choices or scientific evidence.The hospital I work in is the premier teaching hospital in the country, the Philippine General Hospital, whose formulary has always been a model for other hospitals). But, I feel that the prime reason for choosing our drugs is not on sound scientific facts distinctive to our population but more as a result of research and literature reviews of experiences of other groups of people which may not be identical to ours. How do we balance this? What really should go into the decision tree when choosing one's essential drug list? How often should we change the formulary? What should our course of action be towards requests of our specialists for a preferred drug? I would really appreciate any inputs( by the way I read A. Gray reply to Dr. W. Qin (?) query with interest). Many thanks and I look forward to interesting exchanges. Jody Dalmacion jrvd1953@yahoo.com fax 0632 521 8251 [Manually added by BS] [Please always include your physical address and affiliation. BS.] -- Send mail for the `E-Drug' conference to `e-drug@usa.healthnet.org'. Mail administrative requests to `majordomo@usa.healthnet.org'. For additional assistance, send mail to: `owner-e-drug@usa.healthnet.org'.