Medicines Information Centre

The Medicines Information Centre (MIC) is a Drug Information Service for Health Professionals provided by specially trained pharmacists. It is an independent organisation situated in the Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Medicine at the University of Cape Town’s Faculty of Health Sciences. This service is limited to health professionals only.

The MIC is dedicated to providing unbiased, up-to-date and well-researched drug information, in consultation with a multidisciplinary healthcare team. To ensure this, we have access to the latest information databases as well as to consultants from the University of Cape Town’s Faculty of Health Sciences and Groote Schuur Hospital. In order to sustain a service of the highest standard, complicated queries are discussed at regular peer review meetings.

Our mission statement

To research and provide information and expert assistance on all matters pertaining to the rational use of medicines in Southern Africa, thereby promoting the health of its people.

The services we offer

Drug Information in Response to Queries from Health Professionals

The Medicines Information Centre provides information on telephonic, faxed or e-mailed queries relating to:

Drug Therapy
Drugs in Pregnancy and Lactation
Malaria Prophylaxis and Treatment
Drugs in Porphyria
Adverse Drug Reactions
Pharmaceutics
Pharmacology
Availability of South African and overseas medicines
Drug Interactions
Psychopharmacology
Pharmacokinetics

Teaching and Education

Education of health care professionals by dissemination of monthly newsletters via e-mail and on the website
Presentation of Clinical Pharmacology and Applied Therapeutics lectures and seminars
Teaching of pharmacist interns and pharmacy and medical students in the provision of drug information

Fee for Service Activities

Reports and literature searches: expert reports and literature searches (hourly rate)
Training: training courses in drug information which are tailored to the needs of the person(s) being tutored

Users of our Services

The Medicines Information Centre provides drug information to:

Health Professionals
The Pharmaceutical Industry
The Medicines Control Council
Public and Private Health Policy Makers
Medical Aid Schemes and Managed Health Care Companies
Academic Health Departments
Private and Public Hospital Administrators

Available Resources

The Medicines Information Centre is dedicated to providing unbiased, up-to-date and well researched drug information. To ensure this we use:

Latest editions of reference books
National and international medical and pharmaceutical journals
Abstracting journals e.g. Reactions
CD-ROM - Micromedex
Medline
The Cochrane Library
The Internet
Package Inserts
Pharmaceutical Industry
In-house computerised literature database (MIDAS)
Consultants from the University of Cape Town’s Faculty of Health Sciences and Groote Schuur Hospital
Daily peer review and clinical meetings