British National Formulary

British National Formulary (BNF)

The cover of BNF 73 (March 2017)
Author	Pharmaceutical Press, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's knowledge business
Language	British English
Subject	Medicine, Pharmacy
Genre	Medicines Information
Publisher	BMJ and Pharmaceutical Press
Publication date	September 2022 (84th edition)
Publication place	United Kingdom
Media type	Paperback print, digital online, smartphone app
Pages	1,844
ISBN	978-0-85711-432-7
OCLC	1338666044
Website	www.bnf.org

The British National Formulary (BNF) is a United Kingdom (UK) pharmaceutical reference book that contains a wide spectrum of information and advice on prescribing and pharmacology, along with specific facts and details about many medicines available on the UK National Health Service (NHS). Information within the BNF includes indication(s), contraindications, side effects, doses, legal classification, names and prices of available proprietary and generic formulations, and any other notable points.^[1] Though it is a national formulary, it nevertheless also includes entries for some medicines which are not available under the NHS, and must be prescribed and/or purchased privately. A symbol clearly denotes such drugs in their entry.

It is used by pharmacists and doctors (both general practitioners (GPs) and generalist hospital practitioners, and by other prescribing healthcare professionals (such as nurses, pharmacy technicians, paramedics, and dentists)); as a reference for correct dosage, indication, interactions and side effects of drugs. It is also used as a reassurance by those administering drugs, for example a nurse on a hospital ward, and even for patients and others seeking an authoritative source of advice on any aspect of pharmacotherapy.