About National Drug Formulary (NDF)
The National Drug Formulary (NDF) is one of the initiatives under Thrust 4, Information Enablement of the National Pharmacy Strategy (NPS). The objective of this initiative was to establish a Singapore specific and authoritative national reference to guide evidence-based best practices for medication prescribing, dispensing and administration by consolidating clinical and drug related information on registered drugs in Singapore and drugs subsidised by MOH, into a single source. By being the Singapore-specific and comprehensive national reference, the NDF guides healthcare professionals (HCPs) in providing harmonised, safe use of medications and best evidence-based practices for medication prescribing, dispensing and administration.
As NDF is hosted on a public website, the NDF provides easy access to quality and reliable drug information to the public as well, promoting patient education and empowerment. Overall, the NDF will facilitate the appropriate utilisation of drugs which is aligned with MOH’s key shifts to better health – Beyond Quality to Value.
Some key features of NDF include:
General drug information (subsidy information and financing scheme, drug guidance for subsidy, general availability in public healthcare institutions, post-marketing information)
Product-specific details such as drug description and locally approved clinical information (indication, dosage, contraindication) where available
Advanced search function where filters on drug guidance, post-marketing information, subsidy information and forensic classification can be applied to narrow the search results for active ingredient(s), product name, registration number, pharmacological classification, indication, licence holder or country of manufacturer
NDF A to Z listing of active ingredients to easily find all the drug monographs available on NDF website
NDF listing of pharmacological classifications to find drug monograph information categorized based on the World Health Organisation Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification system of the active ingredients.
Compare drugs function to view side by side comparison of general drug information of 2 different active ingredients
Information provided on NDF is intended to be used as a guide for healthcare professionals, such as doctors, pharmacists or nurses, in prescribing drugs safely for their patients. The public can also use NDF to search general and clinical information about their drugs.
About the NDF Logo
Designed by Ms Emma Mun and Ms Choong Wei Sim
The logo is inspired from pharmacokinetics: drug accumulation and elimination graph showing the plasma concentration over time.
The colours used are:
Blue from the Ministry of Health logo, depicting the network of healthcare services.
Purple from the Singapore Pharmacy Council logo, representing pharmacists providing pharmaceutical care excellence; and
Red at the intersection of the blue and purple colours, representing the people of Singapore, who are the life-force of the nation.
The font selected for NDF depicts futurism, clarity and connectivity that are in the five key thrusts of the NPS.