The Pharmaceutical Press, the publications division of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, with offices in London and Chicago, has published a new edition of Martindale: The Complete Drug Reference.
The new edition is the 34th in Martindale's 120-year history. The book's aim is to provide reliable, unbiased and independently evaluated information on drugs and medicines used throughout the world -- including veterinary medicines, herbal substances and investigational drugs, plus other compounds used in medicine, pharmaceutical excipients and toxic substances.
The 34th edition has 2,750 pages -- an increase of 10 percent over the 33rd edition. Every existing entry has been re-evaluated and more than 400 new drugs have been added. Included are monographs on drugs not easily classified, on herbals and on drugs no longer used clinically but still of interest.
The coverage on proprietary products has been expanded to 32 countries, and now includes Argentina, Chile, Greece, India and Malaysia. The book concludes with a directory of manufacturers, containing some 9,500 entries (compared with 7,800 in the previous edition), and an exhaustive general index.
The book or CD-ROM version for single users is priced at $425, but through May 31, 2005, either can be ordered for $375. The combination of book and CD-ROM is specially priced at $499.95.
Information about electronic versions of Martindale for intranets and small networks is available from PharmPress.com. Information about pricing for networks, consortia and group deals, and the integration of content within pharmacy or clinical systems or other databases, can be obtained from Kevin Tuley (kevin_tuley@ameritech.net).
PharmPress.com also allows visitors to see sample Martindale pages and a list of the contents, to view a demonstration of the electronic version and to access user notes for the current electronic version.
Those wishing to purchase copies of the new edition should contact Pharmaceutical Press Customer Service (800-538-1287 or 972-353-1287). Bulk discount enquiries should be addressed to Kevin Tuley (kevin_tuley@ameritech.net).
Martindale is also available online as part of MedicinesComplete, for which free trials are available. MedicinesComplete is a new online library service for health care professionals that houses a range of pharmacy, pharmaceutical and health care databases on a common platform with an integrated search facility. Subscribers can mix and match, choosing the publication that best suits their needs from a list that includes Martindale, the British National Formulary, Stockley's Drug Interactions, Herbal Medicines, Pharmaceutical Excipients, Dietary Supplements and Clarke's Analysis of Drugs and Poisons.