The second edition of W. Steven Pray's Nonprescription Product Therapeutics (NPT) is an update of the first edition published in 1999. Dr. Pray draws on his extensive teaching and community practice experience to create a practical and engaging text. The new edition contains 47 chapters, divided into 10 sections based on a systems approach, eg, oral and gastrointestinal disorders are grouped into the second section of the book. Chapter features include case studies (“At the counter”), patient assessment algorithms, counseling tips (“Tip”), warnings (“!”), definitions of key terms (“Key Terms”), special focus items (“Focus On…”), and real cases from community practice (“A Pharmacist's Journal”). The real cases described in “A Pharmacist's Journal” provide teaching examples and sometimes even some humor, which is rare in textbooks. The book also includes 5 appendices which include information from the Food and Drug Administration on use of nonprescription products in pediatric patients, time limits for self-care, contraindications, drug-drug interactions, and miscellaneous precautions. The new edition also boasts updated black-and-white photographs and a new 17-page Color Plate section. The majority of the color photos in this section are examples of oral and dermatological disorders. References for each chapter have been updated and the majority were published within the last 5-10 years. NPT also contains an extensive, 32-page index, which makes searching the book for specific topics easy.
The book also has a companion website and pocket guide. The website is designed to aid faculty members and provides illustrations and photographs from the book that can be downloaded and incorporated into lecture materials/presentations. Additionally, extra case studies and laboratory exercises are available on the website. However, the case studies are from the first edition and have not been updated. Access to illustrations, case studies, and laboratory exercises is restricted by the publisher. To gain access, the faculty member must register online and the publisher must verify course adoption of the text. The pocket guide (Pocket Guide for Nonprescription Product Therapeutics, $60.95/$121 two-book package deal; Lippincott Williams &Wilkins, www.lww.com) was published in December 2004 (between the first and second editions of NPT) and is co-authored by Richard Finkel, PharmD. The pocket guide is designed to aid practitioners and contains many similar features to the primary text, including pertinent tables, algorithms, and 48 color plates, and the information is condensed for quick and easy reading.
NPT joins 2 other major nonprescription therapeutics texts on the market, APhA's The Handbook of Nonprescription Drugs (HNPD, 15th edition, $149.95/$134.95 for members/$119.95 students; APhA Store, www.pharmacist.com) and Facts & Comparisons' Nonprescription Drug Therapy: Guiding Patient Self-Care (NDT, fourth edition, $73.95; Walters Kluwer Health, Facts and Comparisons Products, www.factsandcomparisons.com). Similarities of all 3 books include: organization using the systems approach, introductions to topics, etiology, pathophysiology, and product tables. One of the major differences in these books is the way information is presented. In NDT, a monograph style is used and this lends the book to be more of a reference for practitioners. NDT is also more product-focused than the other 2 books. Another difference is that HNPD and NDT are written by multiple authors and edited by a panel of practitioners compared with NPT which is written by one expert author. When just comparing HNPD and NPT, they are very similar in structure and function, but some differences do exist. NPT seems to be more focused on questioning and addressing nonprescription safety and efficacy issues and puts specific emphasis on the FDA over-the-counter drug review process. Also, at times, NPT seems to provide more practical information, eg, information on and troubleshooting tips for humidifiers and vaporizers, prevention of low back pain, assessment and treatment of infant colic, and cases in “A Pharmacist's Journal.”
NPT includes timely issues, such as creating a third class of drugs, changing policy to combat the illicit use of pseudoephedrine, providing a fascinating discussion about dangerous and/or ineffective nonprescription therapies, and recognizing and combating this problem. However, NPT falls short on addressing 2 timely and important topics. NPT only devotes 1 paragraph to emergency contraception and addresses nutritional deficiencies rather than the obesity epidemic. HNPD has adequate coverage of emergency contraception and also has 5 chapters on nutritional issues, 1 of which is devoted to obesity. One other weakness I found with NPT is coverage of herbs and supplements. In the herbal section, NPT provides solid, basic information on approximately 70 herbs, but does not cover timely supplements, such as fish oil, policosanol, cinnamon, and other recent newsmakers. HNPD includes these topics and in general provides more in-depth information about herbs and supplements.
Overall, with Nonprescription Product Therapeutics (2nd edition), Dr. Pray has created an excellent resource for faculty and students of nonprescription therapeutics. While Nonprescription Product Therapeutics offers some very helpful resources for a practitioner in the field, eg, various product tables and appendices 1 and 2, this book is probably best suited for the classroom setting.