Pharmaceuticals have transformed the health care landscape. Advances in immunization, anti-microbials, cardiovascular, and gastrointestinal drugs have changed the natural history of many diseases. Advances in molecular genetics and other technology-dependent disciplines offer new hope for major public health threats like cancer, viral diseases, and central nervous system disorders. These transformations have led to enormous growth in the pharmaceutical industry. Last year,2.8 billion prescriptions were dispensed in North America accounting for an expenditure of $145 billion dollars. With a projected annual inflation rate of 5-20%, the rationale use of pharmaceuticals-based on effective use of information- becomes essential. With these advances come any concerns. An increasing use of medications raises the risk of adverse drug interactions and idiosyncratic effects. Commonly used drugs for diabetes and lipid reduction, for example, have been withdrawn because of post-release adverse events. Drug delivery has also become complex, raising serious concerns over patient safety. This meeting will involve AMIA and non-AMIA participants from the pharmaceutical industry, government, public policy, health care services, and other related professions with the aim of cross-fertilization of ideas, development of research and business collaborations, and achievement of further consensus on the informatics challenges facing pharmaceutical use. Major tracks for the meeting will be: Drug Discovery and Clinical Trials: Use of Pharmaceuticals at the Point-of-Care Point-of-Care Infrastructure; Behind the Scenes; The Role of Regulatory Informatics in Enhancing Patient Safety (including post-marketing surveillance and the drug approval process); Vocabulary Issues and Technologies.
