Re: Are PIs public domain

[etb <lizzy@soggytrousers.net>]

"Lori" writes:

>        I am an editor at a small scientific publishing company in
> North Carolina.  Does anybody out there know if the prescribing
> information for drugs is in the public domain or if anyone has been
> able to transfer it to public domain?  Thanks for your help.  Lori

Hi Lori,

   My understanding of the PI's are that they are copyrighted material
and one must request permission by the copyright holder (generally the
manufacturer of the drug) before re-publishing it. I may be wrong but
usually at the bottom of a PI there is a copyright notice and I
assumed that means that a verbatim copy is off limits. E.g.:

     http://pi.lilly.com/us/zyprexa-pi.pdf
     Copyright (c) 1997,2003 Eli Lilly and Company. All rights reserved.

The PDR does have verbatim copies of this information but again I
assumed they have some kind of license with the pharmaceutical
manufacturers.

   Elizabeth