Drug information databases
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Overview of Drug Information Databases
Drug information databases are essential tools for healthcare professionals, researchers, and patients, providing comprehensive and up-to-date details on medications, their uses, interactions, and safety profiles. These resources vary in scope, depth, and user interface, catering to different needs in clinical practice, research, and patient education 12356789+1 MORE.
Comprehensive Drug Databases: DrugBank and DrugMAP
DrugBank: Expanding Drug Knowledge
DrugBank is widely recognized as a gold standard for drug, drug-target, and pharmaceutical information. Over successive updates, DrugBank has significantly expanded its content, now including thousands of FDA-approved and investigational drugs, detailed drug-drug and drug-food interactions, and richly annotated pathways for drug mechanisms and metabolism 23579. The database also integrates experimental data such as MS/MS and NMR spectra, pharmacogenomics, and pharmacometabolomics, making it valuable for a broad range of users from medicinal chemists to clinicians 23579.
DrugMAP: Molecular Atlas and Pharma-Information
DrugMAP offers a comprehensive network of over 30,000 drugs and their interacting molecules, mapping more than 200,000 drug-molecule interactions. It provides detailed expression patterns of interacting molecules across disease sites and tissues, supporting advanced research in pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and AI-based network analyses . DrugMAP is positioned as a complementary resource to existing databases, enhancing drug discovery and mechanistic understanding .
Consumer and Hospital-Based Drug Information Databases
Consumer-Focused Databases
Consumer drug information databases are designed to provide layperson-friendly information on prescription drugs. An evaluation of six such databases found significant differences in the completeness and accuracy of drug information. The Mayo Clinic Family Pharmacist database was identified as the most accurate and comprehensive, making it a strong recommendation for patient use .
Hospital-Based Drug Databases
Hospitals are increasingly developing user-centric drug information databases to improve medication management, especially during situations like the COVID-19 pandemic. These databases often include images of medications and robust search features, with high user satisfaction reported for clarity, ease of use, and search efficiency .
Formatting and Presentation of Drug Information
Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR) Information
There is substantial variation in how adverse drug reaction information is formatted across commonly used drug information databases. Differences include the presence of placebo comparisons, quantitative versus qualitative data, and the organization of ADRs by organ system. These inconsistencies can affect clinical interpretation and decision-making, highlighting the need for standardization in ADR reporting .
Open Access and Data Integration
DrugCentral and Data Accessibility
DrugCentral is an open-access drug information resource that integrates data from regulatory agencies, scientific literature, and external databases. It is regularly updated with new drugs and features, supporting both research and clinical needs .
Conclusion
Drug information databases are diverse in their scope, depth, and user interface, serving critical roles in healthcare, research, and patient education. Comprehensive resources like DrugBank and DrugMAP provide detailed molecular and clinical data, while consumer and hospital-based databases focus on accessibility and usability. However, variations in data formatting, especially for adverse drug reactions, underscore the importance of ongoing improvements and standardization to ensure reliable and actionable drug information for all users 12345678+2 MORE.
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