Introduction
	Newsletters
	The Medical Letter on Drugs and Therapeutics
	Treatment Guidelines from The Medical Letter
	How Articles Are Prepared
	Chart of our distinctive editorial process

Introduction
The Medical Letter is a nonprofit organization founded in 1959 by Arthur Kallet, the co-founder
of Consumers Union, and Dr. Harold Aaron.

Its newsletters, The Medical Letter on Drugs and Therapeutics and Treatment Guidelines from The Medical Letter, publish critical appraisals of new drugs and comparative reviews of older drugs. The editorial process used for both publications relies on a consensus of experts to develop prescribing recommendations that are completely independent of the pharmaceutical industry. The Medical Letter and Treatment Guidelines are, therefore, crucial resources for members of the healthcare community to consult when confronted by the advertisements and sales representatives of the industry.

The Medical Letter, Inc., is completely independent. It is supported solely by subscription fees and accepts no advertising, grants or donations.

The Medical Letter started publication in 1959. Currently, it is published in five languages with circulation approaching 200,000 readers from almost 100 countries. Subscribers include practicing physicians in every medical specialty, pharmacists, medical educators, residents and interns, as well as medical and pharmacy students.

The Medical Letter is intended specifically to meet the needs of the busy healthcare professional who wants unbiased, reliable and timely information on new drugs. Many of these professionals are aware that manufacturers and their representatives may exaggerate the therapeutic effects and understate the adverse effects of drugs, but have neither the time nor the resources to check the accuracy of the manufacturers' claims. If a new drug offers genuine advantages over older drugs, The Medical Letter says so. If it offers no advantage, if its effectiveness is limited, or if it is too toxic or too expensive to justify its use, The Medical Letter says so plainly. If new information changes the picture, follow-up reports are published.

Treatment Guidelines from The Medical Letter (click here for sample issue)
Treatment Guidelines is an independent, peer-reviewed, nonprofit publication that offers review articles of drug classes for treatment of common disorders. Published once a month in a newsletter format, it carries no advertising and is supported entirely by subscription fees. A typical issue contains recommendations for first choice and alternative drugs with assessments of the drugs' effectiveness, cost and safety. Topics covered include diabetes, asthma, postmenopausal osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, hypertension, insomnia, epilepsy, tobacco dependence, psychiatric disorders, lipid disorders, pneumonia, allergic disorders, drugs and surgery for weight loss, HIV infection, bacterial infections, peptic ulcers, pain, Parkinson's disease, advice for travelers, migraine, contraceptives, STDs, and more. Future topics include common eye disorders, cognitive loss and dementia, and COPD.

Treatment Guidelines is intended specifically to meet the needs of busy healthcare professionals who want unbiased, reliable information to help them keep up with the treatments of choice for common disorders. Treatment Guidelines helps healthcare professionals make the best decisions for the patient -- without the influence of the pharmaceutical industry.

Chart of our distinctive editorial process
An expert consultant, one of our editors or an advisory board member prepares the preliminary report on a drug (for The Medical Letter) or drugs for common disorders (for Treatment Guidelines) in terms of their effectiveness, adverse effects and possible alternatives. Both published and available unpublished studies are carefully examined, paying special attention to the results of controlled clinical trials.

The preliminary draft is edited and sent to every member of the Advisory Board of The Medical Letter, to 10-20 other investigators who have clinical and experimental experience with the drug or type of drug or disease under review, to the FDA and CDC, to the first authors of all the articles cited in the text, to appropriate representatives of the pharmaceutical companies making the drugs under review, and often to companies that make competitor drugs as well.

Many critical observations, suggestions and questions are received from the reviewers and are incorporated into the article during the revision process. Further communication as needed is followed by checking and editing to make sure the final appraisal is not only accurate, but also easy to read.