Experience with intrainstitutional clinical evaluations of newly marketed preparations as a basis for drug-product selection to hospital formularies

The decision to admit a new drug-product formulation (NDPF) to a hospital pharmacy formulary is a difficult task, particularly when minimal pharmacokinetic or clinical efficacy data are available. To provide objective information to the Pharmacy and Therapeutics (P&T) Committee, we implemented a procedure to evaluate these NDPFs at our institution. This procedure, termed clinical evaluation, was initiated at our institution in 1981. The clinical evaluations of two NDPFs were performed. The two NDPFs studied were a transdermal nitroglycerin preparation and a sustained-release procainamide preparation. The clinical assessment of the therapeutic and the pharmacokinetic performance of each preparation was made by clinical pharmacists. Following completion of the clinical evaluation, the data were presented at a regular meeting of the P&T committee. The presentation of clinical data derived from our patient population facilitated objective assessment by the P&T committee regarding formulary status. We conclude that the clinical evaluation represents a novel approach to acquire data necessary for objective decisions on NDPFs by the P&T committee.