CVS/pharmacy launches new online Drug Information Center

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS/pharmacy announced on Thursday the launch of a new online Drug Information Center on CVS.com, which was developed to help consumers take control of their health by providing them with drug information and a variety of innovative resources.



The Drug Information Center empowers users by offering detailed information on prescription and nonprescription medications, vitamins and supplements, as well as a Drug Interaction Checker and a printable, personalized health information wallet card feature.



"Our new Drug Information Center provides a comprehensive set of resources that informs and empowers our customers as they make important decisions surrounding their health and well-being," stated Brian Tilzer, SVP and chief digital officer for CVS/pharmacy. "As a pharmacy innovation company, we are constantly exploring new tools and resources to help our customers on their path to better health. With this launch, we are offering users medication expertise in a simple, interactive way that provides relevant and personalized drug information that has never been made available to them before."



Resources now available as part of the Drug Information Center include:

Enhanced Drug Information: Allows users to quickly search for information on thousands of drugs to help them make better health decisions and have more informed consultations with their caregivers, pharmacists or physicians.

• New medication overviews that include large pill images as well as "How This Drug Works" videos that show what is happening inside the body when taking the medication. This helps patients understand how the medication works so they will keep taking it even if they do not feel an immediate physical difference.


• Customers also can review guidance on whether certain medications are safe for use before, during and after pregnancy, as well as other condition and lifestyle-related information, including interactions with food and drink.

Access to Drug Details: Users can now view details on side effect occurrence rates and patient usage statistics that were previously not readily available to consumers.

• With more information on the reported incident, severity and onset of clinical side effects, patients will have a better grasp of what to expect in regard to side effects, when to expect them, and when to be concerned about side effects they may experience.


• Access to new patient usage resources provides information on typical strengths prescribed, plus average generic versus brand name drug usage rates.

Drug Interaction Checker: Similar to the Drug Interaction Checker recently added to the CVS/pharmacy Mobile app for smartphones, the new CVS.com Drug Information Center now features a personalized drug interaction checker.

• Users are able to quickly and easily import prescription information from their CVS.com account or manually enter information to find out how a particular prescription medication or OTC remedy interacts with other medications and lifestyle factors.


• The tool offers patients a full view of possible interactions as compared with all current medications, and users can refine their searches by severity of interactions or by specific drugs.

Printable Medicine List: Users are able to combine prescription and nonprescription health information into one personalized printable list that folds into card size they can store in a wallet, facilitating better communication between patient and healthcare provider.



In the coming months, CVS/pharmacy will continue to enhance its website and Drug Information Center, offering a variety of new features that take the digital drugstore to the next level, the company stated.