Karnataka State Pharmacy Council has set up the Drug Information Centre [DIC] in Bangalore, which has formed a database of about 1,800 drugs. Information consists of the generic name of the drug, trade name, dosage, interactions with food, cautions, side effects, comparisons with other similar drugs, therapeutic uses, clinical trials and information on banned drugs. The main users of information are doctors, nurses, pharmacists and patients. This service is absolutely free.

DIC in Bangalore is the first of its kind in the country and was set up at a cost of around Rs. 15 lakh. The information on each drug runs into 30 to 40 pages. DIC has subscribed to the American databases at Rs. 2 lakh annually. Besides it has a collection of CDs from the World Health Organisation [WHO], extracts from the National Library of Medicine and has culled information from web sites like Pubmed and Medline.

The database is updated every quarter. Despite regular updation, there are queries about new drugs in the market that are not recorded. In such a case, the DIC gets the information from other drug information centres all over the world or forums of information to keep abreast of the new drug entrants.

The DIC, which is registered with the International Register of Drug Information Service, was started in 1997 through the International Network of Drug Information Centres [INDICES] and the Bangalore centre collaborated with Australia and Indonesia. In Karnataka, the JSS College of Pharmacy, Mysore also has a drug information centre under the aegis of the department of pharmacy practice.

The main objective of setting up DIC was to keep pace with the new drugs entering the market in India. In the last five years the new drugs in the market have been more than a thousand times than what it used to be 50 years back, informed sources at the DIC. Doctors find it is difficult to read journals and keep a track of the latest developments. Instead they access DIC to provide authentic and unbiased information.

Inspite of the regular internet access, the medical professionals feel that all sites do not provide the vital information, instead the user could send a queries to the DIC for free information.

There are plans on the agenda, the DIC may levy a fee for medical professionals and institutions. But for patients it would continue to remain free. In other countries, DICs are a part of clinical pharmacy programmes. Each hospital abroad has such a centre.

The DIC receives around a 100 enquires a month. Fifty per cent of these are from the doctors, 25 per cent from the pharmacists, 20 per cent from patients and five per cent from nurses. A majority of patients come up with the queries on the side effects of medicines. There are some queries from abroad too. Most common are from the doctors treating Indian patients abroad. Doctors call for the generic name. Many foreign doctors call them information on herbal medicines.

Right now the centre is giving information on allopathic system of medicines. Plans are on by the Karnataka State Pharmacy Council will set a committee on Indian Systems of Medicine to help standard to help standardise them. The information will be made available at DIC.

Interested users could post their queries to www.kspcdic.com or email to kspdic@blr.vsnl.net.in .