Relative drug safety and efficacy: any help for the practitioner?

Approaches are discussed for assuring that the most useful entity is prescribed when a drug is the treatment of choice. Several attributes of pharmaceutical preparations that are likely to influence health status are mentioned. Three models for increasing drug-of-choice prescribing are discussed: the regulatory model, the formulary model, and the drug use review model. Four options regarding formulary preparation are presented: the federal government, a consortium of professional groups, regional expert committees, or local groups. Research is needed to determine which methods hold promise for increasing the frequency of rational prescribing.