The Drug Information Center Team working together on a drug inquiry.

Drug Information Center

The Drug Information Center at the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (CPPS) is a drug information service and teaching laboratory. We respond to inquiries from pharmacists, physicians, nurses, and other allied health care professionals regarding drug interactions, side effects and other drug-related topics.

Request Line

If you are a medical provider with a drug related question, please fill out this form, call 509-358-7662, or email the center at pharmacy.druginfo@wsu.edu.

Service is available from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The Center is closed on all legal and university holidays.

The Drug Information Center routinely responds to requests regarding:

  • appropriate therapy for specific patients
  • adverse reactions to drugs
  • efficacy of drugs
  • drug interactions
  • appropriate therapy for a disease state
  • identification of foreign drugs
  • information on investigational agents
  • information on new drugs
  • identification of unknown capsules and tablets
  • other drug-related requests

The Drug Information Center does not answer medical legal questions.

Public Service & Contract Projects

In addition to responding to drug information questions, the Drug Information Center provides several additional services:

Formulary Monograph Service

The center has a contract to create evidence-based evaluations of new drugs and medication use evaluations for The Formulary Monograph Service (FMS) each month. The FMS offers monthly updates featuring recently FDA-approved and late Phase III drugs.

Editorial Boards

Staff serve on several editorial boards and provide peer review services for at least 10 medical and pharmacy journals each year.

United States Pharmacopeia

Staff works with the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) Committee of Experts on Healthcare Quality; the USP Medicare Model Guidelines; and the development of the USP Drug Classification System.

DIC Newsletter – Highlights of FDA Activities

Teaching Laboratory

The second purpose of the Drug Information Center is education. Fourth-year pharmacy students have the option of completing a six-week elective rotation at the center to get real-world experience researching and responding to center inquiries.

Post-Graduate Residency

The center hosts the Specialty Residency in Drug Information Practice & Academia targeted for new pharmacists wishing to gain expertise in drug information and teaching. Early applications for the Specialty Residency in Drug Information Practice are due by January 14.

Full Residency Description [PDF]
Residency Application [PDF]

Contracts

The Drug Information Center occasionally participates in contracts to provide drug information. Please contact Danial Baker with inquiries regarding drug information contracts.

History

The Drug Information Center was established by the CPPS in Pullman in 1973 and was transferred to the Spokane campus in 1988. It is the only source of its type for the state. The center is primarily funded by the college as a teaching laboratory and support for our students and preceptors. Additional funding is provided by gifts and contracts.

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