"The United States Pharmacopeia (USP) contains over 14,000 drugs, each of which is a specific chemical compound with a biological activity that is medically useful. Most of these drugs have been developed commercially by the international pharmaceutical industry and, as a consequence, are associated with one or more trade names. Several names are frequently assigned to drugs, mainly for marketing purposes. Drugs are often manufactured and sold under license agreements with the original developer and they acquire new names. In addition to these trivial names that may be associated with a drug, it may have several chemical names, developed according to various rules of nomenclature, which allow precise identification of the chemical entity involved. The consumer or researcher seeking information often has only on trivial name, on used (for example) in an advertisement, and this name contains no information on the composition or use of the drug. The chemical name is essential to the scientist, but this gives no hint as to the trade names(s) or general use of the drug.

Some 10,000 representative drugs in common use are described in Part I of this book. Every drug has been given an entry name, and within each drug category, entries are arranged alphabetically by that name. The entry name is the one most commonly used for the chemical entity and is usually the U.S. adopted name: the one under which the drug is listed in the USP. The book is organized into 201 therapeutic categories, which each category presented in alphabetical order. Drugs that have distinct activities, for example an antiarrhythmic agent with coronary vasodilator properties, are found in the appropriate sections. Thus, there is some duplication throughout Part I. However, this organization permits the reader to determine, at a glance, the number of drugs available, as well as the different chemical families which may be represented within a specific therapeutic category. For example, this database lists 483 penicillin-based antibiotics, 318 antihypertensives, 135 tranquilizers, and 68 drugs used to mange Parkinson's disease. The increasing sophistication of pharmaceutical research may also be discerned by noting the populations in such categories as ACE inhibitors (40 drugs) and histamine H2 receptor agonists (18 drugs).

Within each record the subject drug is associated with its Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) registry number (also listed numerically in Part II, Index 1). Each record also provides, as available, two other numeric identifiers for the chemical: the monograph number from the 12th edition of The Merck Index and the European Inventory of Existing Commercial Chemical Substances (EINECS) number (also listed in Part II, Index 2). The chemical name, molecular formula (but not the chemical structure), and a list of trade names and synonyms are provided; the physical properties of each compound are described, and the known therapeutic utility and in some cases acute toxicity data re recorded in the main entries in Part I. Part III lists the manufacturers and suppliers of the drugs.

This comprehensive coverage of 10,000 drugs currently in use will be a valuable source of information to research chemists, pharmaceutical researchers, physicians and drug information centers, and others who have a need to quickly to find basic information on a particular drug for which information sources are obscure. This volume, edited by a well-know and respected authority in the field of chemical information and computational chemistry, is highly recommended for all libraries involved with drugs . . ." Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, John L. Neumeyer, Harvard Medical School

"A bevy of drug dictionaries are competing for attention; see, e.g., Concise Dictionary of Pharmacological Agents: Properties and Synonyms (CH, Jul'00). With 10,000 entries, Drugs takes the middle ground between Concise Dictionary and Merck Index (more than 4,000 entries; 1889-) and multivolume encyclopedias. Outstanding attributes of Drugs's entries are its inclusion of trade names, chemical names, generic names, CAS registry numbers, Merck Index entry numbers when available, and European Inventory of Existing Commercial Chemical Substances (EINECS) numbers. Drugs are grouped by therapeutic category; when a drug has multiple indications, it is listed in several groups. The wealth of physical property data supplied rivals Merck Index-melting and boiling points, density, LTV spectra, optical rotation, toxicity data-but unlike Merck, no references to patents or scientific literature are given. Molecular formulas are given but no structure drawings. A distinct asset is the inclusion of manufacturer and supplier information. There are four indexes: CAS Registry Number, EINECS number, names and synonyms including investigational numbers and chemical names, and therapeutic category. The "Directory of Manufactures and Suppliers" complements the usual street and telephone listings with URLs. An outstanding reference for medical and science libraries, especially those serving researchers. "Choice Magazine J. S. Whelan,Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences