Pharmacy and Therapeutics

Pharmacy and Therapeutics is a committee at a hospital or an insurance plan that meets to decide which drugs will appear on that entity's drug formulary. The committee usually consists of both physicians and pharmacists. They must weigh the costs and benefits of each drug and decide which ones provide the most efficacy per dollar.[1][2] This is one aspect of pharmaceutical policy.

Most generic drugs are available on formularies, except in cases where that class of drugs are no longer considered safe and efficacious. For instance most formularies will not cover barbiturates since their therapeutic index is low compared to benzodiazepines. Barbiturates have a danger of overdosing that occurs at a smaller milligram range than the benzodiazepines.


  1. ↑ Bender FH (1983). "The Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee Part 1: overview". Hosp Formul 18 (5): 517–8, 523–4, 533 passim. PMID 10260199.
  2. ↑ American Society of Health-system Pharmacists. "ASHP Guidelines on the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee and the Formulary system". http://www.ashp.org/DocLibrary/BestPractices/FormGdlPTCommFormSyst.pdf''. Retrieved 16 April 2015.