MTRAC is an independent professional committee of GPs and representatives of other key decision-makers in the use of medicines in primary care. The remit of the Committee is to review selected pharmaceutical products to assess their clinical value, safety and suitability for use in primary care in the West Midlands Region, and to guide GPs in prescribing them appropriately. The membership of the Committee and process for review are described in the Constitution [PDF].

Typical drugs that MTRAC considers include newly licensed drugs or those that have a new indication, drugs used to treat conditions with which GPs may be less familiar, and drugs that may be causing concern in primary care, such as those initiated by specialists. Unlicensed drugs are not normally considered. Requests for drugs to be reviewed may be made by any health care professional in the West Midlands.

The recommendations of the Committee and the evidence considered in the evaluations are summarised in verdict & summary sheets. When use with a shared care agreement is recommended for a particular drug a template ESCA (Effective Shared Care Agreement) is provided that can be modified for local use. These documents are available on the website under MTRAC recommendations. An annual booklet summarising all MTRAC recommendations is available.

MTRAC also provides supporting information on some general prescribing issues.

Latest activities of MTRAC are listed on the latest news page, and planned activities and other relevant news items can be found in our quarterly Newsletter. Viewers can also register to receive an electronic bulletin listing latest MTRAC activities.