Very timely and in ever-increasing demand, services like Acurian hold a glimmer of hope to those suffering beyond the reach of currently-approved medical drug treatments and therapies. Offering state-by-state listings of clinical trials of cutting-edge drugs under investigation both by pharmaceutical manufacturers and/or academic research facilities, Acurian can serve as a vital link to users who...

The FDA has just announced a new Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) Website: Drug Shortages (the CDER was last mentioned in the July 14, 2000 Scout Report). Both sites should be useful to health care professionals. The first features a list of drugs that are in short supply as well as reasons why they are scarce and advice on how to obtain them.

The Global Drug Reference Online is a website that Olympic athletes and their support teams from the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom can check to see if any drug they take is prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The purpose, of course, is to make sure the athletes aren't taking any drug that would give an unfair advantage to the athlete. The site allows athletes to...

This special section from the U.S. National Library of Medicine's MedlinePlus website provides information about drugs, herbs, and supplements, including detailed material on prescription drugs and over-the-counter medicines. The site is divided into basic sections, one for drugs and one for herbs and supplements. Each section is organized alphabetically. For instance, selecting "A" under Drugs...