How we build a comparison page.
Every comparison combines four data streams. Here is the exact pipeline, the refresh cadence, and what the data does and does not tell you.
1. FDA label ingestion
Drug profiles are seeded from openFDA drug label endpoints and refreshed daily. We extract: indications, mechanism, dosing range, boxed warnings, contraindications, brand and generic names, and approval date. We do not paraphrase label text — direct quotes are wrapped in blockquote and link back to the underlying DailyMed entry.
2. FAERS adverse-event signals
Side-effect frequency comes from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System. We surface the top reported events per drug, normalised by total report volume. FAERS is voluntary reporting — a high count means a drug is reported on, not necessarily that the event is more likely than for another drug. Where a side-effect was not reported in FAERS for a given drug, we display “not reported” rather than zero, to avoid implying absence of risk.
3. Clinical study references
Where studies are referenced on a comparison, they are cited by NCT identifier and link to ClinicalTrials.gov or the published trial in PubMed. We do not interpret study results — we link and quote.
4. Patient discussions
Patient voices come from public Reddit threads on condition-specific subreddits (r/UlcerativeColitis, r/AnkylosingSpondylitis, r/PsoriaticArthritis, and others). We index them via Reddit’s data API, de-identify beyond the subreddit, and quote with attribution to the handle and post age. We do not contact users, do not store deleted posts, and honour all takedown requests.
Direct patient reviews
Where users submit a structured review through DrugNote, it is held in a moderation queue. Reviews are rejected if they contain identifying information, dosing instructions, or claims that contradict the FDA label without citation. We do not edit reviews; we publish or reject.
Sentiment scoring
Sentiment percentages displayed on cards (“72% positive”) are computed from the underlying reviews and indexed thread sentiment, weighted equally. We disclose the n on each comparison page. Where n is below 30, we suppress the percentage and show the raw count instead.
Refresh cadence
- FDA labels & FAERS — daily
- Reddit thread index — weekly
- Direct reviews — on submission, post-moderation
- Comparison pages — regenerated on each data refresh
Limits we are honest about
- We index roughly 2,200 medications. We are not exhaustive — request a drug here and we add it within 48 hours.
- We do not currently have a clinical reviewer on staff. See the editorial note on our About page.
- Comparison pages are not personalised. Two patients with the same diagnosis may have opposite reactions to the same medication.
For the full source list, see /sources/.