These periodicals promote rational drug therapy and appear at frequent intervals, ranging from weekly to quarterly. Drug bulletins can have a variety of sponsors, such as government agencies, professional bodies, university departments, philanthropic foundations and consumer organizations. They are published in many countries, are often free of charge, and are highly respected because of their unbiased information. National drug bulletins are appearing in an increasing number of developing countries, which include Bolivia, Cameroon, Malawi, the Philippines and Zimbabwe. The main advantages of national drug bulletins are that they can select topics of national relevance and use the national language.
Most countries have their own national equivalents.
Both types contain much information of relevance to prescribers. The general journals regularly publish review articles on treatment. The specialized journals include more detailed information on drug therapy for specific diseases. Good medical journals are 'peer reviewed', that is, all articles are sent for independent expert review prior to publication. You can usually check whether journals meet this important criterion by reading the published instructions for submission of articles.