Information on marketed drugs for doctors and patients. Experience in six European countries

This article describes a project that looked at the availability of information on marketed pharmaceutical products to doctors and patients in six European countries. It examines the legal status of the drug compendia published in each country and reports on the implementation of EC Directive 92/27/EEC on labeling and packaging. A small survey showed that it is hard to compare patient information because it is difficult to obtain copies of pack inserts available in each country. However, a limited analysis revealed some differences in the content and presentation of data for doctors and patients.