Availability of authentic drug information is the key to promote rational use of drugs, a well-accepted concept in clinical practice in the developed world. The concept is fast catching up in several developing countries because of the sharp rise in the medical costs and increasing instances of medication errors. An important reason for the rising costs of medical costs in developed countries is the marketing exclusivity enjoyed by pharmaceutical companies for their latest life threatening drugs. And the drugs continue to be the major part of the total healthcare costs. With high prices of patented drugs and the strong influence of pharmaceutical companies on medical practitioners, the healthcare costs can only rise in future. Both pharmaceutical companies and the medical practitioners contribute to creating a situation like this. For pharmaceutical companies, pushing up their sales is the sole aim whereas a large majority of the physicians can be easily coaxed into indulge in irrational prescription to serve the interests of these companies. The absence of insurance cover for a large number of poor people both in the developed and developing world also adds to overall healthcare costs. Medication errors by the physicians are another serious problem confronting the patient community today as knowledge level about new drugs and ADR is extremely poor amongst physicians. Thus, several hundreds of cases of complications and deaths are being reported every year in various parts of the world on account of medication errors.

One way to control medical costs and medication errors is to promote the concept of rational use of drugs by providing authentic drug information to doctors, pharmacists and patients. Drug information is an essential element in achieving health goals and should, therefore, form a part of any national drug policy. The conventional method of obtaining drug information is through medical representatives and product literature provided by the pharmaceutical companies. Such information is usually incomplete and biased and therefore cannot be depended upon. Organisations like Delhi Society for Promotion of Rational Use of Drugs (DSPRUD) are doing their bit in this regard in certain areas. But, these localized efforts will be hardly sufficient in a country like India to achieve the goal of rational use of drugs. Establishing Drug Information Centres by the state pharmacy councils could perhaps be a very effective way to provide this service to all concerned. Maharashtra State Pharmacy Council established a DIC a few days ago. Two other state pharmacy councils have set up DICs a few months ago. But, the large majority of the state pharmacy councils are yet to act upon. The responsibility of promoting rational use of drugs lies primarily on pharmacists and that calls for a nationwide formation of DICs by all the remaining state pharmacy councils without further delay.