Medicine Information Around the World
There are loads of places you can find information about medicines online. But user beware! Lots of sites:
- are written for medical doctors, pharmacists, and other healthcare professionals
- have information might not be clear enough for everyday people
- could be incomplete, inaccurate or out of date.
For the most current and reliable information about your medicine, in your country, take a look at the list below.
Do you know of other great sites that have comprehensive, easy-to-understand medicine information? Let me know in the comments below.
Australia
National Prescribing Service (NPS)
Enter the brand name or active ingredient name in the search bar. The NPS Medicine Finder will provide you with information that is easy to use.
MedSearch App
If apps are more your thing, use MedSearch. This is produced by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). The TGA is the government body that approves all therapeutic goods in Australia.
MedSearch has both information for consumers and information for health professionals.
New Zealand
The consumer section of the Medsafe website is searchable. Simply enter the brand name or active ingredient name to find information on your medicine.
UK
Looking for information in the Queens English? Look no further than the electronic medicines compendium (emc).
USA
Making medicine information great again is the MedlinePlus drug information site.
Canada
O Canada! Great information abounds, which you can find at Drugs and Medications A-Z
Medicine Information in other languages
So far, so English. English language sites may dominate the web (and this post). Even so, it is great to have information in your mother-tongue. There are nuances and expressions in every language that sometimes don’t translate well.
Do you have a favourite non-English language site you’d enthusiastically recommend? Please let me know by email, or in the comments below.
Sally Bathgate is a freelance health and medical writer with a decade of experience in research and the pharmaceutical industry in Australia.