The Physicians' Desk Reference: Problems and Possible Improvements

doi:10.1001/archinte.1996.00440120021003

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Vol. 156 No. 13, 8 JULY 1996

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The Physicians' Desk Reference

Problems and Possible Improvements

Jay S. Cohen, MD; Paul A. Insel, MD

Arch Intern Med. 1996;156(13):1375-1380.

Abstract

The Physicians' Desk Reference (PDR) is a widely used sourceof drug information by American physicians and patients, butas we shall discuss, it suffers from numerous shortcomings.¹The PDR is a collection of written and pictorial informationthat is provided and paid for by pharmaceutical manufacturers.The written material for a given drug is a compilation of dataand recommendations that are identical to those in the drug'spackage insert. The wording and directives that are includedin these package inserts (and thus in the PDR) represent informationthat the pharmaceutical companies are permitted to present followingdiscussion and approval by the Food and Drug Administration(FDA), Rockville, Md. The PDR is thus a negotiated effort ofcommercial enterprises and governmental regulators.

Author Affiliations

From the Departments of Psychiatry (Dr Cohen) and Pharmacology and Medicine (Dr Insel), University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine, La Jolla.

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