Impact of team approach on reducing drug costs

After partial success of traditional methods (closed formulary, use of generic drugs, retrospective drug usage review and continuing education) to reduce drug costs, a new‐approach ‘team approach’ was tried. This involved a clinical pharmacist and psychiatrists jointly reviewing patient drug therapies in view of a previously agreed set of guidelines. These guidelines were formulated to optimize patient therapy after a thorough review of clinical pharmacology and pharmacokinetics of drugs and pathophysiology of different psychiatric disorders. Drug cost savings of 49% and 16% were achieved in two different wards. The clinical pharmacist's active involvement accounted for a difference of 33% between the two wards.