The British National Formulary (BNF) provides up-to-date, practical guidance on prescribing, dispensing, and administering medicines. This essential reference reflects current best practice as well as legal and professional guidelines relating to the uses of medicines.

BNF 65 (March 2013) has been revised and revalidated to reflect changes in product availability, emerging safety concerns and shifts in clinical practice. Access to the latest edition of the BNF is vital for healthcare professionals, as there are a large number of updates from one edition to the next.

Some of the significant changes in this edition include:

• Updated guidance on pain management in palliative care
• Updated advice on the management of hereditary angioedema
• Revised guidance on the treatment of endocarditis
• Updated advice on the risk of malignancy with long-term use of calcitonin
  

The BNF evaluates clinical evidence from diverse sources with information validated by a network of clinical experts and published under the authority of a Joint Formulary Committee.

BNF 65 is also available as an eBook.

Content of the BNF reflects current best practice as well as legal and professional guidelines relating to the uses of medicines. The resource includes:

• Guidance on the drug management of common conditions
• Details of medicines prescribed within the UK with special reference to their uses, cautions, contra-indications, side-effects, doses and relative costs. This allows treatment to be tailored to the individual needs of each patient.
• Guidance on prescribing, monitoring, dispensing and adminstering medicines.

The content is updated every 6 months in print, making it an up-to-date source of prescribing advice for informed decision-making.

From the reviews of the previous edition:

"...The British National Formulary (BNF) is a useful reference for a quick verification of drugs and treatment plans when prescribing and dispensing drugs...

...This is a resource that is truly useful for any clinician or healthcare professional seeking information on drugs and drug therapeutics. There are even instructions on how to use the BNF, specifically directed toward certain healthcare practitioners...

...The BNF is much more than just monographs of drugs, which characterize many drug references. It also includes extensive prefaces and appendixes that focus on common issues in drug therapeutics. For example, it has information on prescribing in certain populations, (the elderly, children, patients with comorbid conditions/renal impairment), how to minimize drug interactions, treatment of emergency poisoning, prescribing in pregnancy and lactation, and other patient-specific topics...

...As a pharmacist and pharmacy educator in the U.S., I am not familiar with the BNF, but I was pleasantly surprised at how complete it was. Because it is updated every six months, it is about as current as a drug reference in print can be..."

Patrick J McDonnell, Pharm.D. (Temple University School of Pharmacy), Doody's Notes, May 2013

BNF Publications are now available via a money-saving print subscription.

• BNF Subscription for 1 year
• BNF + BNFC Subscription 1 year
• BNF Subscription for 2 years 
• BNF + BNFC Subscription 2 years 

Benefits of purchasing via subscription include:

• Constant access to the latest medical information as it publishes
• Significant financial savings on 1 and 2 year subscriptions, including package BNF/BNFC subscriptions
• Removes the need for repeat ordering and allows you to receive your copy as soon as it is published.

Also available via all major subscription agents.

You can also access the BNF online.