Abstract
Since 1975, the 'New drugs' section of Australian Prescriber has aimed to provide health professionals with brief, independent, unbiased comments about recently marketed new medicines and vaccines.1 These new drug comments summarise key information about the new drug (e.g. presentation, indications), the evidence that led to its registration in Australia, and its place in therapy.
New drug comments can be read when they are published in the bimonthly issues of the journal. Or, they can be easily found retrospectively by searching for the drug name and ‘Australian Prescriber’ in any search engine; this can be useful when a brief, independent summary of the medicine is needed, for example, if a patient asks whether a new medicine could be suitable for them.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) each year registers approximately 40 new prescription drugs (referred to as ‘new chemical entities’ or ‘new biological entities’).2 In the last decade newly approved drugs have changed from being largely traditional small-molecule drugs to often being large-molecule drugs (biologics).3 Australian Prescriber doesn’t aim to comment on every new drug entity. Priority is given to drugs that have a new or unique mechanism of action, provide a significant advance over existing drug therapies, or have specific safety concerns. Drugs for rare diseases or that are highly specialised may not be prioritised.
To enhance readability of new drug comments, Australian Prescriber is introducing changes to the way the comments are presented. Starting with this issue, new drug comments include a summary box and have a structured format with subheadings. The summary box provides basic information including the generic and brand names, sponsor (manufacturer), presentation, route of administration and approved indication. The aim is to enable readers to quickly view key details and decide whether to read the full new drug comment. The structured format of the comment, with subheadings, is intended to make new drug comments easier to read, and help readers find the information they are looking for.
New drug comments can be read when they are published in the bimonthly issues of the journal. Or, they can be easily found retrospectively by searching for the drug name and ‘Australian Prescriber’ in any search engine; this can be useful when a brief, independent summary of the medicine is needed, for example, if a patient asks whether a new medicine could be suitable for them.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) each year registers approximately 40 new prescription drugs (referred to as ‘new chemical entities’ or ‘new biological entities’).2 In the last decade newly approved drugs have changed from being largely traditional small-molecule drugs to often being large-molecule drugs (biologics).3 Australian Prescriber doesn’t aim to comment on every new drug entity. Priority is given to drugs that have a new or unique mechanism of action, provide a significant advance over existing drug therapies, or have specific safety concerns. Drugs for rare diseases or that are highly specialised may not be prioritised.
To enhance readability of new drug comments, Australian Prescriber is introducing changes to the way the comments are presented. Starting with this issue, new drug comments include a summary box and have a structured format with subheadings. The summary box provides basic information including the generic and brand names, sponsor (manufacturer), presentation, route of administration and approved indication. The aim is to enable readers to quickly view key details and decide whether to read the full new drug comment. The structured format of the comment, with subheadings, is intended to make new drug comments easier to read, and help readers find the information they are looking for.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 3-4 |
| Number of pages | 2 |
| Journal | Australian Prescriber |
| Volume | 48 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 18 Feb 2025 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- drug industry
- drug information
- drug regulation
- new drug approval
