Download QA405_1_medicineslicensedinothercountries

Medicines Q&As
Q&A 405.1
Where can I find free online information about pharmaceutical
products licensed in other countries?
Prepared by UK Medicines Information (UKMi) pharmacists for NHS healthcare professionals
Before using this Q&A, read the disclaimer at www.ukmi.nhs.uk/activities/medicinesQAs/default.asp
Date prepared: 29th November 2013
Background
You may be asked for information about pharmaceutical products that are licensed in countries other
than the UK.
Answer
Some foreign regulatory agencies and Ministry of Health websites are either in English or have a
button to press to view an English language version. Examples of some of these websites are listed in
the table below. Some include product monographs which may help with enquiries about dosage or
indication, for example.
Country
Website
Australia
Therapeutic Goods Administration
http://www.tga.gov.au/index.htm
Canada
Health Canada
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/index-eng.php
Ireland
Irish Medicines Board
http://www.imb.ie/
Medicines information online (for products available in Ireland)
http://www.medicines.ie/
Examples of information
available
Product Information and
Consumer Medicines
Information for
prescription medicines are
available by selecting
‘Product Information’.
Search by e.g. trade
name or active ingredient
Public Assessment
Reports for prescription
medicines. Browse by e.g.
active ingredient or
product name
Drug Product Database.
Search by e.g. active
ingredient or product
name
Human Medicines
Products List. Search by
e.g. trade name or active
substance
Use search box to find
Summaries of Product
Characteristics (SPCs)
and Patient Information
Leaflets (PILs)
Available through NICE Evidence Search at www.evidence.nhs.uk
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Medicines Q&As
Country
Website
Japan
Japan Pharmaceutical Reference
http://www.e-search.ne.jp/~jpr/jpr_db/eindex.html
Malta
Medicines Authority
http://www.medicinesauthority.gov.mt/home?l=1
New Zealand
Medsafe
http://www.medsafe.govt.nz/
Pakistan
PakMediNet
http://www.pakmedinet.com/
Singapore
Health Sciences Authority
http://www.hsa.gov.sg/publish/hsaportal/en/home.html#page=tab1
USA
U.S. Food and Drug Administration Approved Drug Products
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/drugsatfda/index.cfm
MedlinePlus (provided by U.S. National Library of Medicine)
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginformation.html
DailyMed
http://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/about.cfm
Websites covering more than one country
Europe
EudraPharm
http://www.eudrapharm.e
u/eudrapharm/welcome.d
o?selectedStaticLocale.la
nguageCode=en
International
Drugs.com
http://www.drugs.com/
Asia Pacific countries
Hormonal contraception
mims.com
http://www.mims.com/
Directory of Hormonal
Contraceptives
http://contraceptive.ippf.or
g/search
Examples of information
available
Product monographs.
Search by e.g. brand
name or nonproprietary
name
Search for package
leaflets or SPCs by e.g.
product name or active
ingredient
Data sheets. Search by
e.g. ingredient or trade
name
Search Drug Index for
product information such
as indication and dosage
Medicinal products.
Search e.g. product name
or active ingredient
Product information for
approved drugs. Search
by e.g. drug name or
active ingredient
Information for the public
on medicines. Browse by
generic or brand name
Search by e.g. drug name
Use ‘Find Product’. You can choose a country, if
necessary. Product monographs show e.g. marketing
authorisation holder
International Drug Names. Use the A – Z index or search.
Clicking on a generic name shows a monograph, which
includes names and brand names in different countries
Free registration required. You can choose a region.
Search for monographs of drugs
Can search by the type of product, country, brand name,
component or manufacturer
Summary
If a pharmaceutical product is licensed abroad, it may be possible to find online product information
from English language websites.
Available through NICE Evidence Search at www.evidence.nhs.uk
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Medicines Q&As
Limitations
 The information included in the table is from websites which are in English or which include
useful documents in English. Foreign language websites have been excluded.
 The list is not exhaustive. Other regulatory agencies may be found here.
 Websites requiring payment for registration have been excluded.
 Other reference sources are available to help identify foreign medicines.
 Note that criteria such as indication, dose and formulation may not be the same if a product
later reaches the UK market.
Quality Assurance
Prepared by
Sue Gough, Critical Evaluation Pharmacist, Wessex Drug and Medicines Information Centre,
University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust.
Date Prepared
29th November 2013
Checked by
Kate Pickett, Medicines Q&A Pharmacist, Wessex Drug and Medicines Information Centre, University
Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust.
Date of check
21st January 2014
Search strategy
 Google: ‘medicines regulatory agency’; ‘international medicines regulatory agencies’;
‘medicines agency’
 Royal Pharmaceutical Society: ‘foreign medicines’
Available through NICE Evidence Search at www.evidence.nhs.uk
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