Guidelines and drug names outside the US

What AskMed covers outside the US

AskMed covers guidance from outside the US in three ways: the guideline bodies it searches, the drug registries it checks, and the way it writes measurements. The guideline sources include NICE in the UK, the European Society of Cardiology, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the World Health Organization, together with international groups such as KDIGO for kidney disease, GINA for asthma and GOLD for COPD, alongside US bodies such as the CDC and USPSTF. The reference sources include BMJ Best Practice and the MSD Manual. When a question names a medicine, AskMed also searches national drug registries and drug information sites from more than 20 countries, so a local brand can be matched to its active ingredients. Measurements that differ by country are given in both units, such as HbA1c in % and mmol/mol and glucose in mg/dL and mmol/L. No US license, NPI or institution check is needed to use AskMed.

How local brands and registries work

AskMed looks for local brand names automatically. When a question seems to name a medicine, supplement or other health product, especially one written in a language other than English, AskMed adds national drug registries and drug information sites to its search and tells the AI how to find the product: spelling the name as written and also split or hyphenated, adding "active substance" and the country where it is likely sold, judged from the question's language and the region your device is set to. The registries include the European Medicines Agency, the UK's medicines.org.uk, France's public medicines database, Spain's CIMA, Italy's AIFA, Brazil's ANVISA, Japan's PMDA, India's CDSCO, Health Canada, Australia's TGA, South Africa's SAHPRA, Egypt's EDA, Türkiye's TİTCK and MIMS for several Asian countries. The answer cites the page that lists the product's form and active ingredients, or says plainly that no retrieved page lists it. Registry pages are labelled Drug label in the sources.

Guidance changes over time as well as by place. When guidelines disagree, AskMed gives the most recent position, says what changed and since which year, and names any society that still disagrees, so you can see whose guidance an answer rests on.

When it helps

Coverage outside the US helps anyone whose patients, exams or reading are not American. A general practitioner in the UK can ask about a condition and see NICE guidance cited next to European or US positions, with the year of each. A doctor in the Philippines, Vietnam or Mexico can type a local brand name exactly as it appears on a box and find out its active ingredients from a registry page. A pharmacist in Europe can check a product against the EMA's information rather than a US label. A nurse working abroad can see lab values in the units her hospital uses. A medical student preparing for an exam such as PLAB or the PLE can read explanations that name the guidelines those exams follow. A researcher writing for an international journal can see where US and European recommendations differ before stating a position. AskMed works the same wherever the app can be downloaded.

Some AI tools for clinicians are limited outside the US or ask for an NPI; OpenEvidence alternatives outside the US covers this in detail. Get AskMed on the App Store for iPhone and iPad, on Google Play for Android, or use it on the web.

Limits

AskMed's coverage outside the US is wide but not complete. The guideline list is fixed, so many national societies and health ministries are not searched directly, and an answer may cite NICE, WHO or European guidance when your own country's guideline says something different; follow the guidance that applies where you practise. The drug registry search runs only when a question seems to name a product, and a product sold under an unusual name may still not be found; when no registry page lists it, AskMed says so rather than guessing. The FDA and DailyMed labels describe US products, and approvals and warnings differ between countries. AskMed never gives doses, so it doesn't replace your national formulary. App availability depends on the App Store and Google Play in each country, and the web app is the other option. The AI can misread a registry page or a foreign guideline, so open the citation before you rely on it.