Ebook: BNF 84 (British National Formulary) September 2022 - March 2023

The BNF is a joint publication of the British Medical
Association and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. It is
published under the authority of a Joint Formulary
Committee which comprises representatives of the two
professional bodies, the UK Health Departments, the
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, and
a national guideline producer. The Dental Advisory Group
oversees the preparation of advice on the drug management
of dental and oral conditions; the Group includes
representatives of the British Dental Association and a
representative from the UK Health Departments. The Nurse
Prescribers’ Advisory Group advises on the content relevant
to nurses and includes representatives from different parts
of the nursing community and from the UK Health
Departments.
The BNF aims to provide prescribers, pharmacists, and
other healthcare professionals with sound up-to-date
information about the use of medicines.
The BNF includes key information on the selection,
prescribing, dispensing and administration of medicines.
Medicines generally prescribed in the UK are covered and
those considered less suitable for prescribing are clearly
identified. Little or no information is included on medicines
promoted for purchase by the public.
Information on drugs is drawn from the manufacturers’
product literature, medical and pharmaceutical literature,
UK health departments, regulatory authorities, and
professional bodies. Advice is constructed from clinical
literature and reflects, as far as possible, an evaluation of the
evidence from diverse sources. The BNF also takes account
of authoritative national guidelines and emerging safety
concerns. In addition, the editorial team receives advice on
all therapeutic areas from expert clinicians; this ensures that
the BNF’s recommendations are relevant to practice.
The BNF is designed as a digest for rapid reference and it
may not always include all the information necessary for
prescribing and dispensing. Also, less detail is given on areas
such as obstetrics, malignant disease, and anaesthesia since
it is expected that those undertaking treatment will have
specialist knowledge and access to specialist literature.
Similarly, little or no information is included on medicines
for very rare conditions. BNF for Children should be
consulted for detailed information on the use of medicines in
children. The BNF should be interpreted in the light of
professional knowledge and supplemented as necessary by
specialised publications and by reference to the product
literature. Information is also available from medicines
information services, see Medicines Information Services
(see inside front cover).
It is important to use the most recent BNF information for
making clinical decisions. The print edition of the BNF is
updated in March and September each year. Monthly
updates are provided online via Medicines Complete and the
NHS Evidence portal. The more important changes are listed
under Changes; changes listed online are cumulative (from
one print edition to the next), and can be printed off each
month to show the main changes since the last print edition
as an aide memoire for those using print copies.
The BNF Publications website (www.bnf.org) includes
additional information of relevance to healthcare
professionals. Other digital formats of the BNF—including
versions for mobile devices and integration into local
formularies—are also available.
BNF Publications welcomes comments from healthcare
professionals. Comments and constructive criticism should
be sent to:
British National Formulary,
Royal Pharmaceutical Society,
66–68 East Smithfield
London
E1W1AW
[email protected]
The contact email for manufacturers or pharmaceutical
companies wishing to contact BNF Publications is
[email protected]