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Previous Volume 329:2029-2032 December 30, 1993 Number 27 Next

	Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words of the full text and any section headings.

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The most common therapeutic intervention in medicine is the writing of a prescription¹. The proliferation of therapeutic alternatives and the growing recognition of the clinical and economic consequences of suboptimal pharmacotherapy^2,3,4 have stimulated a variety of efforts to improve prescribing. These include physician-education programs,^2,3 required drug-utilization review for patients covered by Medicaid,⁵ restrictive access policies (formularies, service limitations, requirements for prior approval, and substitution requirements),⁶ and direct federal regulation of the indications for using prescription drugs⁷. However, physicians, third-party payers, and regulators must face a fundamental but rarely asked question: Are there adequate data to guide choices among . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Address reprint requests to Dr. Wayne A. Ray at the Department of Preventive Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232.

References

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Evaluating Drugs after Their Approval for Clinical Use
Woosley R. L., Flockhart D. A., Ray W. A., Griffin M. R., Avorn J.
Extract | Full Text  
N Engl J Med 1994; 330:1394-1395, May 12, 1994. Correspondence

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