Despite sometimes high costs, medications still deliver a powerful punch in the fight against disease, according to Jeff Trewhitt, spokesperson for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. Making the cut Determining a formulary is generally a three-phase process, Zimmerman said. Phase 2 is the pharmacoeconomic evaluation, during which the committee figures out where the drug fits in the overall treatment of the condition. The resulting formulary is constantly changing, Ginsburg said. Drug choices should be made by physicians, not committees, he said.
Every patient has a different response to a different drug.
Some patients may be more forgetful and need drugs in different dosages. That should be for a doctor to decide. Zimmerman insists that formulary management is not a case of business dictating medicine. Rather, it is a way of helping practitioners effectively choose from the multitude of drugs on the market. Formularies are recommendations, according to Zimmerman.