Contact BNF Publications

We welcome constructive feedback from users of BNF Publications.

Due to the high volume of emails we receive we ask that you consult the information below before contacting the BNF team.

Health professionals

Content creation in BNF is prioritised by clinical urgency and this means that we cannot guarantee when specific pieces of information will be included or updated.

We ask that health professionals check appropriate supporting reference sources before submitting a query relating to the clinical content of BNF Publications.

The BNF team is not able to provide background papers, lists of references, and information on areas outside the scope of BNF; or offer comments and advice on individual treatment.

We request that, when contacting us, you relate the enquiry to the specific scenario encountered and, where appropriate, you provide evidence to support your view. This will help us to prioritise clinical requests and enable us to respond appropriately.

Health professionals may contact us at editor@bnf.org

Manufacturers

For the BNF Editorial team to consider products for inclusion, manufacturers must:

Add product information to the dm+d via the In-Demand service
Send the SPC to us using our portal

Please note that the previous process of notification, by emailing us SPC updates, is no longer viable, and we will not update products based on this procedure.

After setting up a username and password, you will be asked to:

Provide new and updated SPCs (both clean and tracked change versions of updated SPCs) in .pdf format.
Specify which sections of the SPC have been updated, and how they have been updated.

There is no charge for using the portal.

Data for product manufacturer information, pricing, and discontinuation status in BNF Publications is sourced directly from the dm+d; to ensure changes are made to existing information in the BNF please update details on the dm+d via the ‘in demand’ service.

Please note, there is a lead time for product details to be added into our system, and we are unable to guarantee when any added or amended information will be published. We recommend that manufacturer information is corrected in the dm+d at the earliest opportunity to expedite the update of content.

If you have any questions or feedback, please contact us at manufacturerinfo@bnf.org

The BNF team will not discuss content with representatives of the pharmaceutical industry by telephone.

Patients and the public

BNF Publications are constructed to support health professionals in making decisions about the effective and safe use of medicines; information in our publications is not designed for use by patients or members of the public. Furthermore, although BNF aims to give the best possible advice on treatment, there are sometimes special circumstances when a health professional may decide to deviate from this advice.

We regret that we are unable to comment on individual cases and we cannot enter into correspondence with patients (or their relatives). These matters are best dealt with by properly qualified health professionals who are familiar with all the circumstances surrounding the case. If you have questions about medicines, we recommend you refer them to your doctor or local pharmacist.

Requesting copies and distribution of BNF Publications

Individual print copies of BNF and BNFC are available for purchase from the online shop. For bulk purchases contact pharmpress-support@rpharms.com.

In 2023, NICE announced their decision to stop the supply of print British National Formulary and BNF for Children to NHS organisations in England. For more information, please refer to the NICE website:
https://www.nice.org.uk/news/blogs/nice-to-stop-supplying-print-copies-of-bnf-and-bnfc

The same decision was made by Scotland and Wales. For further information, contact:
1. In Scotland, email: nss.psd-bnf@nhs.scot
2. In Wales, email: nwssp-primarycareservices@wales.nhs.uk
3. In Northern Ireland:

Primary care: contact the Business Services Organisation
Secondary care: contact your local Trust pharmacy department

PharmAid

We receive numerous requests from developing countries for copies of BNF. The Pharmaid scheme of the Commonwealth Pharmacists Association will dispatch old BNFs to certain Commonwealth countries.

For more information on this scheme click here.