# \[e-drug\] Generic prescription & rational use of drugs (cont) **URL:** \ **Category:** e-drug\ **Created:** [March 1, 2001, 2:13am UTC](https://talk.edrugplus.org/t/e-drug-generic-prescription-rational-use-of-drugs-cont/10526 "2001-03-01T02:13:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![hollowayk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e99b99/32.png) [@hollowayk](https://talk.edrugplus.org/u/hollowayk)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2001, 2:13am UTC](https://talk.edrugplus.org/t/e-drug-generic-prescription-rational-use-of-drugs-cont/10526/1 "2001-03-01T02:13:10Z")
E-drug: Generic prescription & rational use of drugs (cont) --------------------------------------------- Dear Ruwan, Here are some definitions: The Rational Use of Drugs requires that "patients received medications appropriate to their clinical needs, in doses that meet their own individual requirements, for an adequate period of time, and at the lowest cost to them and their community". WHO 1987, Conference of experts on the rational use of drugs, Nairobi: Report on the rational use of drugs, WHO Geneva. Essential drugs are "those drugs that satisfy the health care needs of the majority of the population; they should therefore be available at all times in adequate amounts and in appropriate dosage forms. WHO has developed a model list of essential drugs that can be adapted in different countries according to need". WHO 1999, The use of essential drugs: ninth report of the WHO expert committee, WHO Technical report series 895, WHO Geneva. Standard Treatment Guidelines, protocols and prescribing policies are "systematically developed statements to help practitioners or prescribers to make decisions about appropriate treatments for specific clinical conditions", Managing Drug Supply, 1997, 2nd edition, Management Sciences for Health in collaboration with World Health Organisation, published by Kumarian Press inc., 14 Oakwood Ave, West Hartford, Connecticut 06119-227, USA. ISBN: 1-56549-047-9 A formulary manual "contains summary drug information on a selected number of drugs. It is drug-centred and the information is usually organised in therapeutic groups". Managing Drug Supply 1997. "Generic drugs are usually cheaper than their brand names counterparts, making their use rational from a cost stand-point" provided that the bio-equivalence is the same as for the brand product. Managing Drug Supply, 1997. "Generic substitution is the "dispensing of a product that is generically equivalent to the prescribed product, with the same active ingredients in the same dosage form, and identical in strength, concentration and route of administration". Managing Drug Supply, 1997. I suggest that you acquire a copy of Managing Drug Supply, 1997, as it will give you comprehensive information on all aspects of drug use, including rational drug use and methods to promote more rational drug use. Below is some summarised information from chapters 28-33. Strategies to change drug use should only be undertaken after the scale of the problem has been "assessed and quantified" and "the reasons for the problem behaviour...investigated...and understood". The main types of intervention used to change behaviour include: (1) education strategies based on information and persuasion e.g. training (2) managerial strategies based on guiding decision making e.g. essential drug list (3) regulatory strategies based on limiting prescriber/consumer decisions e.g. banning drugs Interventions should be "carefully selected with regard to efficacy, feasibility for implementation in the existing system and cost" and their impact evaluated. "Programs to ensure rational use of drugs should be an integral part of health and medical care services. The responsibility for promoting rational use of drugs belongs to decision-makers, administrators and clinicians". Another useful sources of information on improving the use of medicines include: Laing R.O, Hogerzeil H.V, Ross-Degnan D, (2001), "Ten recommendations to improve the use of medicines in developing countries", Health Policy and Planning, Vol.16(1), pp.13-20. The WHO website: [http://www.who.int/medicines](http://www.who.int/medicines) which contains, under the section on rational use, (1) CD Rom training materials on promoting the rational use of drugs, and (2) presentations from the international conference on improving the use of medicines in Thailand in 1997. Good luck with your workshop Kathy Kathy Holloway, Medical Officer for Policy Access and Rational Use, Department of Essential Drugs and Medicines Policy, World Health Organisation, 20 Avenue Appia, Geneva CH-1211. Tel: +41 22 791 2336; Fax: +41 22 791 4167 email: hollowayk@who.int [For Managing Drug Supply email is erc@msh.org website is [http://www.msh.org/](http://www.msh.org/) 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'.