How We Research Medicine Information

Medicine information is only useful if you can see where it comes from.

ZoneMD is built for people who need practical medicine information across borders: expats in Asia, travellers, remote workers, and anyone far from a well-stocked local pharmacy. Brand names, prescription rules, pack sizes and availability can change from one country to another. Our job is to make those differences easier to understand without turning medical information into guesswork.

This page explains how we research medicine pages, country guides and practical articles.

Our source hierarchy

We do not treat all sources as equal.

When we research a medicine, country rule or safety claim, we prioritise sources in this order:

1. Official medicine regulators and health authorities
2. Manufacturer product documents and patient leaflets
3. Recognised clinical references and public-health bodies
4. Pharmacopoeias, ingredient-name systems and drug databases
5. Reputable medical publishers or specialist references where official sources are incomplete

We avoid anonymous health blogs, forum posts, thin affiliate pages, social media claims, and unsourced “drug facts” copied from other websites.

Medicine catalogue pages

The medicine catalogue explains what a medicine is, what it is commonly used for, and which brands or generics may be available.

For catalogue pages, we check:

• the active ingredient
• common brand names
• generic alternatives
• strength and dosage forms
• manufacturer information
• product leaflets or summaries where available
• regulator or database records where relevant
• important differences between countries

We use active-ingredient names because brand names often change between countries. A medicine known under one name in the UK, Australia or India may have a different name in Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore or Hong Kong. The active ingredient is the most reliable starting point for comparing medicines across borders.

Where possible, we follow the World Health Organization’s International Nonproprietary Names system, commonly known as INN. These names help identify pharmaceutical substances by a shared generic name rather than by a local brand.

Guides and articles

Our guides and articles answer practical questions, such as:

• how medicine access works in a specific country
• how to compare a brand with a generic
• why the same medicine may have different names
• whether a medicine is registered in one country but not another
• what to check before ordering medicine while abroad
• how pharmacy, prescription or import rules can differ by destination

These pages need stricter country-specific checking than catalogue pages.

Official authorities we use

For country-specific medicine information, we start with the local regulator or health authority whenever possible. These are the types of primary sources we use before relying on secondary summaries.

Country or region	Authority or database
Thailand	Thai Food and Drug Administration and pharmaceutical product registration guidance
Singapore	Health Sciences Authority and therapeutic products guidance
Malaysia	National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency and registered-product search tools
Philippines	Food and Drug Administration Philippines
Hong Kong	Department of Health Drug Office and registered pharmaceutical products database
Indonesia	BPOM drug registration portal and BPOM One Data Portal
Vietnam	Drug Administration of Vietnam
Japan	Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency
South Korea	Ministry of Food and Drug Safety
India	Central Drugs Standard Control Organization and CDSCO online portal
Australia	Therapeutic Goods Administration, medicines guidance, and ARTG search
United Kingdom	MHRA and MHRA Products
European Union	European Medicines Agency medicine finder and national medicine registers
United States	FDA Drugs and MedlinePlus drug information
International naming	WHO International Nonproprietary Names

This matters because medicine rules are local. A claim about Singapore does not automatically apply to Thailand. A product available in India is not automatically registered in Malaysia. A medicine that is prescription-only in one country may be handled differently elsewhere.

How we handle brands and generics

We compare medicines by active ingredient first, not by marketing name.

A generic medicine may contain the same active ingredient as the original brand, but that does not mean every product is identical in every practical detail. Differences can include:

• manufacturer
• tablet appearance
• inactive ingredients
• pack size
• local brand name
• registration status
• country of supply
• available strengths
• price

We do not dismiss a medicine because it is generic, and we do not praise a medicine simply because it is branded. We look at the active ingredient, manufacturer, regulatory status, available product information and the context in which the medicine is supplied.

This is especially important for Indian generics. India is a major pharmaceutical manufacturing country, but quality still depends on the specific company, product, market authorisation and supply route. We avoid blanket claims, positive or negative.

How we handle country registration

A medicine’s registration status is a country-specific fact.

If a medicine is not registered in one country, that does not automatically mean it is unsafe, fake or ineffective. It may mean the manufacturer never applied there, the product is sold under another name, demand is too small, or the regulator has made a different decision.

When registration status matters, we try to explain:

• where the medicine is registered
• where it appears unavailable or unregistered
• whether the active ingredient is available under another name
• which local regulator or database was checked
• whether the issue is medical, regulatory or simply commercial

We avoid scare wording. We also avoid turning one regulator’s position into a global judgement.

Every important claim needs a source

Before publishing, we check that important factual claims are supported by a suitable source.

This includes claims about:

• medicine ingredients
• prescription status
• registration status
• import or travel rules
• official warnings
• safety restrictions
• country-specific pharmacy rules
• brand and generic differences
• manufacturer information
• public-health guidance

If we cannot support a claim, we either remove it, soften it, or state clearly that the situation is uncertain.

We check source links before publication

A source link should lead to the information it is used to support.

Before a guide is published, we check source links manually where needed. Official health websites sometimes block automated tools, move pages, or use search systems that do not behave like ordinary webpages. We account for that instead of treating every automated failure as a dead source.

If a source is genuinely unavailable, outdated or no longer supports the statement, we replace it or remove the claim.

No unsupported figures

Figures go stale quickly.

Import allowances, legal thresholds, shipping limits, prescription rules, medicine prices and registration statuses can change without much warning. When a number is likely to change, we prefer to link to the official source or explain what to check rather than present a figure that may become misleading later.

We do not invent statistics, market sizes, approval numbers, success rates or delivery guarantees.

If a figure appears on ZoneMD, it should be either:

• taken from a named source
• shown as a current catalogue value
• clearly marked as approximate
• dated where timing matters

How we handle conflicting information

Medicine information can conflict between sources.

When sources disagree, we prioritise the most relevant authority for the claim:

• for local rules, the local regulator usually matters most
• for product details, official product documentation matters most
• for general medicine information, recognised clinical sources matter most
• for travel or import rules, government customs or health authority guidance matters most

If the conflict matters to the reader, we explain it instead of hiding it.

What we do not publish

We do not publish:

• diagnosis instructions
• personalised treatment decisions
• fake certainty about legal rules
• unsupported claims about miracle effects
• exaggerated claims about generics or brands
• copied manufacturer marketing as if it were neutral guidance
• medical claims based only on user reviews, forums or social media
• claims that a medicine is right for a person without professional review

ZoneMD is an information and access guide. It is not a doctor, pharmacist or emergency service.

Written for people, checked against sources

We write in plain language because medicine information is often difficult enough already.

That does not mean we simplify away the important parts. A good medicine guide should help you understand:

• what the medicine is used for
• what the active ingredient is
• which brands and generics may exist
• what strength or pack differences mean
• what questions to ask before choosing
• when a doctor or pharmacist should be involved

The final decision about treatment should always be made with a qualified professional, especially for prescription medicines, chronic conditions, pregnancy, children, allergies, interactions or serious symptoms.

Review dates and corrections

Medicine information changes.

Brand availability, prices, regulator pages, product leaflets, import rules and pharmacy requirements can all change over time. We date and review content where timing matters, and we update pages when source information changes.

If you find something outdated, unclear or wrong, contact us through the Contacts page. We review correction reports and update pages where needed.

The standard we aim for

ZoneMD should help a reader do three things:

1. identify the medicine by active ingredient, not only by brand name
2. compare brands, generics, strengths and country differences with less confusion
3. know which claims are sourced, which rules may change, and when to ask a professional

That is the standard behind our medicine catalogue, country guides and articles.