Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs is a United States public, grant-funded project of Consumer Reports Health that provides consumers unbiased information about prescription medicines. The project educates consumers on safe, effective, and low-cost alternatives to their prescription drugs. It aims to improve access to needed medicines for Americans who struggle to pay for their medications. Best Buy Drugs compares prescription drugs for common health conditions based on effectiveness, safety, and price, to help people talk to their doctors about the most effective and affordable medicines.[1]
The Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs project was launched on December 9, 2004, to publish reports that combine evidence-based research on the Comparative Effectiveness and safety of prescription drugs with data on drug prices.[2] The effectiveness data comes from the Drug Effectiveness Review Project (DERP) based at the Oregon Health & Science University Evidence-Based Practice Center. DERP uses physicians and researchers to evaluate the comparative effectiveness and safety of commonly used prescription drugs. None of the research teams have a financial interest in any pharmaceutical company or product. In addition to DERP’s effectiveness data, Best Buy Drugs layers in drug pricing information based on average retail prices paid by consumers at the pharmacy.[3] The reports are peer-reviewed by medical experts in the particular drug category.
Best Buys are then chosen based on a drug’s effectiveness and safety, the side effects it may cause, how convenient it is to use, its track record in studies and use over time, and how much it costs relative to other drugs.[4] There is no set formula for choosing Best Buys. Best Buys are chosen because they are: as effective as all the other drugs in the category, or more so; safe and cause no more—and usually fewer—side effects than other drugs in the category; and cost less on average than other drugs in the category. Several of the Best Buys have been chosen because of their superior effectiveness or safety profile even though they may cost more.
Activitiesedit
The project publishes drug reports. The first three reports covered Statins to reduce high cholesterol, heartburn drugs, and NSAIDs commonly used to treat arthritis. The project covers over 20 conditions and the most widely used drugs.[5] The reports are published in web versions and two-page PDF summaries in English and Spanish.
More than half of all prescription drugs cause adverse effects—some serious or fatal—that are not detected until after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves them, sometimes many years later. To highlight this concern, the doctors and editors of Best Buy Drugs publish drug-safety reports to draw attention to the adverse effects and risks of prescription drugs, such as Celebrex and Alli. The reports are created by the Best Buy Drugs team and an independent academic group, Research on Adverse Drug Events and Reports (RADAR), devoted to detecting drug safety issues.[6] The project also reports on drugs prescribed off-label to highlight common off-label uses, evaluates the clinical evidence and safety information for those uses, and makes recommendations to help consumers decide whether or not the off-label use is right for them.[7]
Best Buy Drugs has reached out to physicians, pharmacists, and senior and low-income groups to help ensure the information gets into their hands. The initial outreach campaign launched in Atlanta and Sacramento in 2005 and expanded to California, Georgia, and other states later in 2005.[8] Groups that have partnered with Best Buy Drugs include the American Public Health Association, the Alliance for Retired Americans, the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, and the American Medical School Association. More recently, the project has partnered with AARP, National Urban League, National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (N4A), National Center on Black Aged and MGH Institute of Health Professions.
^Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs Mission Statement.
^"Consumer Reports launches public education campaign to help consumers save on medicines" 2008-10-06 at the Wayback Machine, Consumers Union, 9 December 2004.
^Off-label drug prescribing: What does it mean for you?", Consumer Reports Health, 2009 May.
^"Consumer Reports Launches Public Education Campaign to Help Consumers Save on Medicines" 2010-02-04 at the Wayback Machine, Senior Journal, 10 December 2004.
External linksedit
Consumers Union official website
National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (N4A)
MGH Institute of Health Professions
February 16, 2024
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This article has multiple issues Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page Learn how and when to remove these template messages This article relies excessively on references to primary sources Please improve this article by adding secondary or tertiary sources Find sources Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs news newspapers books scholar JSTOR January 2010 Learn how and when to remove this template message This article s tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia See Wikipedia s guide to writing better articles for suggestions January 2010 Learn how and when to remove this template message Learn how and when to remove this template message Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs is a United States public grant funded project of Consumer Reports Health that provides consumers unbiased information about prescription medicines The project educates consumers on safe effective and low cost alternatives to their prescription drugs It aims to improve access to needed medicines for Americans who struggle to pay for their medications Best Buy Drugs compares prescription drugs for common health conditions based on effectiveness safety and price to help people talk to their doctors about the most effective and affordable medicines 1 Contents 1 History 2 Activities 3 See also 4 References 5 External linksHistory editThe Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs project was launched on December 9 2004 to publish reports that combine evidence based research on the Comparative Effectiveness and safety of prescription drugs with data on drug prices 2 The effectiveness data comes from the Drug Effectiveness Review Project DERP based at the Oregon Health amp Science University Evidence Based Practice Center DERP uses physicians and researchers to evaluate the comparative effectiveness and safety of commonly used prescription drugs None of the research teams have a financial interest in any pharmaceutical company or product In addition to DERP s effectiveness data Best Buy Drugs layers in drug pricing information based on average retail prices paid by consumers at the pharmacy 3 The reports are peer reviewed by medical experts in the particular drug category Best Buys are then chosen based on a drug s effectiveness and safety the side effects it may cause how convenient it is to use its track record in studies and use over time and how much it costs relative to other drugs 4 There is no set formula for choosing Best Buys Best Buys are chosen because they are as effective as all the other drugs in the category or more so safe and cause no more and usually fewer side effects than other drugs in the category and cost less on average than other drugs in the category Several of the Best Buys have been chosen because of their superior effectiveness or safety profile even though they may cost more Activities editThe project publishes drug reports The first three reports covered Statins to reduce high cholesterol heartburn drugs and NSAIDs commonly used to treat arthritis The project covers over 20 conditions and the most widely used drugs 5 The reports are published in web versions and two page PDF summaries in English and Spanish More than half of all prescription drugs cause adverse effects some serious or fatal that are not detected until after the U S Food and Drug Administration approves them sometimes many years later To highlight this concern the doctors and editors of Best Buy Drugs publish drug safety reports to draw attention to the adverse effects and risks of prescription drugs such as Celebrex and Alli The reports are created by the Best Buy Drugs team and an independent academic group Research on Adverse Drug Events and Reports RADAR devoted to detecting drug safety issues 6 The project also reports on drugs prescribed off label to highlight common off label uses evaluates the clinical evidence and safety information for those uses and makes recommendations to help consumers decide whether or not the off label use is right for them 7 Best Buy Drugs has reached out to physicians pharmacists and senior and low income groups to help ensure the information gets into their hands The initial outreach campaign launched in Atlanta and Sacramento in 2005 and expanded to California Georgia and other states later in 2005 8 Groups that have partnered with Best Buy Drugs include the American Public Health Association the Alliance for Retired Americans the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare and the American Medical School Association More recently the project has partnered with AARP National Urban League National Association of Area Agencies on Aging N4A National Center on Black Aged and MGH Institute of Health Professions See also editDrug safety Generic drugs Pill splitting Prescription costs Prescription drug prices in the United StatesReferences edit Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs Mission Statement Consumer Reports launches public education campaign to help consumers save on medicines Archived 2008 10 06 at the Wayback Machine Consumers Union 9 December 2004 Best Buy Drugs Partners Best Buy Drugs Methods Best Buy Drugs Published Drug Reports Are prescription drugs safe Not necessarily Consumer Reports Health 2009 November Off label drug prescribing What does it mean for you Consumer Reports Health 2009 May Consumer Reports Launches Public Education Campaign to Help Consumers Save on Medicines Archived 2010 02 04 at the Wayback Machine Senior Journal 10 December 2004 External links editConsumers Union official website National Association of Area Agencies on Aging N4A MGH Institute of Health Professions GreenerChoices org Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs amp oldid 1166462098, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
