Bridging the Gap between Clinical Expertise and Technical Innovation in Pharmaceutical Information Licensing
Introduction
With over 25 years of experience in the pharmacy field, Piers Berry brings a unique perspective to his role as Licensing Sales Manager at Pharmaceutical Press, the publishing arm of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS). His career—which spans community pharmacy practice in the UK and Australia, as well as consulting on drug information datasets—has given him a deep understanding of both clinical requirements and technological possibilities.
Driving Piers’ work is the RPS vision to become the global leader in the safe and effective use of medicines. He helps a diverse range of organizations integrate evidence-based drug information into clinical systems, ensuring critical knowledge is available at the point of care.
“First and foremost, I am a pharmacist,” says Piers. “My goal is to make sure health professionals have access to reliable information exactly when and where they need it. Licensing is how we connect clinical knowledge with technology—embedding accurate, up-to-date content into the digital tools used in daily practice.”
Addressing a Common Misconception
A frequent misunderstanding Piers encounters is the belief that the British National Formulary (BNF) and BNF for Children (BNFC) are free of charge because they aren’t paid for directly by NHS users or organizations. In reality, these resources are funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) on behalf of the NHS. This support, in partnership with the BMJ Group and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, allows Pharmaceutical Press to provide UK healthcare professionals with free access to the BNF and BNFC via the MedicinesComplete platform and the BNF + BNFC app.
The content itself is the product of a meticulous editorial process. An in-house team of clinical and scientific writers—including pharmacists and science graduates—continuously triages new information, evaluates evidence, and reviews all updates. Selected content is also assessed by external experts and committees, and may undergo formal peer review.
As a not-for-profit organization, Pharmaceutical Press relies on the licensing of its content to maintain these high editorial standards, develop world-class clinical tools, and support the RPS in its advocacy for the pharmacy profession.
Applied Across Diverse Settings
The applications of this trusted pharmaceutical information are wide-ranging. While it is commonly used in hospitals, general practices, pharmacies, and care homes, it also supports niche applications—from anti-doping testing to specialized clinical tasks such as medication switching or deprescribing.
Connecting Clinical and Technical Worlds
Effectively communicating the value and technical details of licensing can be challenging due to the breadth of applications. To help clients fully explore the content, Piers incorporates evaluation periods into the process, giving them time to ask specific questions and assess suitability. He and his technical colleagues provide ongoing support throughout this journey.
Part of Piers’ mission is to raise awareness of the full range of resources available for licensing. In addition to the BNF and BNFC, they include:
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Martindale: The Complete Drug Reference
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Stockley’s Drug Interactions
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Palliative Care Formulary
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Psychotropic Drug Directory
He is driven by the belief that integrating this independent, authoritative information into clinical systems presents a major opportunity to enhance patient care and safety.
A Vision for the Future
Looking forward, Piers imagines a future in which every health professional has seamless, instant access to the trusted medicines knowledge that Pharmaceutical Press has been producing for more than 150 years.
He advises anyone evaluating clinical information databases to ask two essential questions:
“Is this the resource health professionals themselves would choose?” and
“Is this the highest quality information available for patient care?”
Through his dedication to bridging the worlds of pharmacy and technology, Piers Berry—and Pharmaceutical Press—are helping create a future where improved patient outcomes are driven by instant access to evidence-based information.
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