Drug Facts and Comparisons 2003 – 57^th edition. By Kenneth H. Killion and Erwin K. Kastrup. 2,496 pp. St. Louis, Facts and Comparisons, 2003. $194.95. ISBN 1–57439-135–6.

This 57th edition of the annually published Drug Facts and Comparisons is an extraordinarily comprehensive drug information reference. The stated goal of the publisher is to provide “timely, accurate, comprehensive, unbiased, comparative information on prescription and nonprescription medications.” More simply put, and to quote many clinical pharmacists, it is “the bible” of drug information. Its format is unique, with single drug monographs organized by therapeutic usage instead of alphabetically. Detailed comparisons of similar agents are also included. Drugs are organized into chapters, such as hematological agents, cardiovascular agents, systemic anti-infectives, dermatologic agents, etc. Each monograph includes the formulations, indications, administration and dosage, actions, contraindications, warnings, precautions, drug interactions, adverse reactions, overdosage, and patient information relevant to each drug. In addition, if a drug has multiple usages, it will be listed in multiple sections. The text is well indexed, with drugs being listed alphabetically by both generic and trade names. There is also a useful Canadian trade name index as well as a manufacturers-distributors index.

The new version incorporates 26 new drugs and details important new indications for old drugs. It also includes a handy CD-ROM, which helps with pill identification. Drug information for handheld PDAs can be found and downloaded at www.drugfacts.com. In addition to the hardcover text, both a soft-cover, pocket-sized, abridged version and a new, online version are now available. Other interesting features of this 57th edition include sections on orphan drugs and investigational drugs and a limited section on treatment guidelines for hypertension, rabies, and Helicobacter pylori. There are also tables of normal laboratory values, common calculations related to drug therapy, and the classification of controlled substances.

The readability of the text suffers somewhat from the small font and the information-packed tables, which are both necessary to include so much information into a single source. I also found that the interspersion of tables within columns of text made reading more difficult. That aside, clearly every pharmacist should own this text. In addition, I think it is very useful for practicing primary care physicians as their single online or hardcover authority on drug-related information. In my years of using this text in clinical and teaching practice, it is rare to not be able to locate the answer to almost any drug-related question. It is eminently more useful and readable compared with the PDR, and worth the investment.