Best References for Weight-Based Drug Dosing (mg/kg)

1. Sanford Guide to Antimicrobial Therapy (Gold Standard for Infectious Diseases)

• Covers antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals, antiparasitics (including amoebic), and antiprotozoals
• Dosing by weight (mg/kg) for both adults and pediatrics
• Disease-specific sections (e.g., pneumonia, meningitis, sepsis, fungal infections, malaria, amoebiasis)
• Available as a physical pocket book, laminated card, and a mobile app/web subscription at sanfordguide.com
• Updated annually - widely considered the #1 clinical antimicrobial dosing reference worldwide

2. Tarascon Pocket Pharmacopoeia

• Compact annual reference covering all drug classes with mg/kg dosing tables
• Includes antibiotics, antifungals, antiparasitics, and disease-specific regimens
• Has a free PDF version of older editions available online
• Published by Jones & Bartlett - the pocket/lab-coat edition is very popular among clinicians

3. British National Formulary (BNF) + BNF for Children (BNFc)

• The UK's official drug reference - freely accessible online at bnf.nice.org.uk
• BNFc specifically covers weight-based (mg/kg) and BSA-based dosing for every drug
• Covers antibiotics, antifungals (azoles, echinocandins, polyenes), antiprotozoals, anthelmintics, amoebicides (metronidazole, diloxanide), and all disease categories
• Free to access in the UK; available via subscription or app internationally
• Very comprehensive with renal/hepatic dose adjustments too

4. Nelson's Pediatric Antimicrobial Therapy (Pediatric Focus)

• Published annually by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
• Specifically organized by infection type AND by drug with mg/kg dosing
• Covers all antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals, antiparasitics
• One of the best disease-specific dosing references for pediatric practice

5. WHO Model Formulary / WHO Essential Medicines List

• Freely available as PDF at who.int
• Includes mg/kg dosing for all essential antibiotics, antifungals, antiprotozoals, antiparasitics
• Particularly strong on amoebic drugs (metronidazole, tinidazole, diloxanide), malaria drugs, and neglected tropical diseases
• Excellent free resource, especially for developing country contexts

6. Harriet Lane Handbook (Pediatrics)

• Published by Johns Hopkins Hospital pediatricians
• Has a famous "Formulary" section with mg/kg dosing for every drug including antibiotics, antifungals, amoebics
• Updated every 2-3 years; available as app and book

7. UpToDate / Lexicomp / Micromedex (Digital Databases)

• Lexicomp (built into UpToDate) is the most complete digital weight-based dosing tool
• Enter patient weight and it calculates dose ranges for every drug
• Covers all categories: antibiotics, antifungals, antiparasitics, antiprotozoals, disease-specific
• Subscription required; many hospitals provide access

8. MDCalc & GlobalRPh (Free Online Calculators)

• MDCalc.com - has specific calculators for many drugs including antibiotics (vancomycin AUC dosing, aminoglycosides, etc.)
• GlobalRPh.com - has a huge free library of drug dosing calculators with weight-based inputs

9. Drugs@FDA / DailyMed (Official Package Inserts)

• Every approved drug's official prescribing information at dailymed.nlm.nih.gov includes weight-based dosing tables
• Free, authoritative, and always up to date

Summary Table

My Top Recommendation for You

#1 - Tarascon Pocket Pharmacopoeia (Best overall fit)

• Covers ALL drug classes - not just antimicrobials. Cardiology, neurology, psychiatry, endocrinology, antibiotics, antifungals, antiparasitics, amoebics - everything is in one small book
• Both adult AND pediatric dosing in the same entry for most drugs
• Weight-based (mg/kg) doses listed alongside fixed adult doses
• Pocket-sized - fits in a lab coat or scrubs pocket, updated every year
• Affordable - usually around $15-25 USD for the physical book
• Includes renal/hepatic dose adjustment notes, which is critical for pharmacists

#2 - BNF + BNFc (Two-book set)

• Extremely detailed mg/kg dosing for every drug in every age group
• Covers all categories including rare infections, amoebic drugs, anthelmintics
• The BNFc is arguably the best pediatric dosing reference in print
• Published twice yearly, so it stays current
• Slightly bulkier than Tarascon but far more detailed
• If you are in the UK, these are free through the NHS; outside the UK they are available as books or app

#3 - Harriet Lane Handbook (If pediatrics is a significant part of your work)

• The formulary section has mg/kg dosing for every drug
• Clear age/weight breakdowns for neonates, infants, children, adolescents
• Includes disease-specific dosing protocols
• Published by Johns Hopkins, updated every ~3 years

My Personal Pick For You

Start with the Tarascon Pocket Pharmacopoeia. It is one book, fits in your pocket, covers adults and children across all drug classes with mg/kg dosing, and is the most practical daily-carry reference for a pharmacist or nurse working across patient populations. If you find you need more pediatric depth, add the BNFc or Harriet Lane alongside it.

Best Setup for Your Village Clinic

Priority #1 - Free Offline App: "Medscape"

• Download once, works fully offline with no internet needed
• Has weight-based dosing (enter the patient's kg, it calculates the dose)
• Covers antibiotics, antifungals, antiparasitics, amoebics, ALL drug classes
• Covers both adults and children
• Free forever - no subscription
• Available on Android and iPhone
• This alone can handle 90% of your daily dosing needs

Priority #2 - Free PDF to Print or Save: WHO Model Formulary

• Download free from WHO website: who.int
• Print the key pages and laminate them for your clinic wall
• Covers all essential medicines with mg/kg dosing
• Strong coverage of tropical diseases - malaria, amoebiasis, worm infestations, fungal infections - which are common in village settings
• No cost at all

Priority #3 - Printed Book: Tarascon Pocket Pharmacopoeia

• If you can afford one book (~$15-20), this is the one to buy
• Fits in your pocket, no electricity needed, works anywhere
• All drug classes, both adults and children, mg/kg dosing throughout

Priority #4 - Free Offline App: "Epocrates"

• Similar to Medscape, works offline
• Very popular among clinic doctors and nurses globally
• Includes drug dosing, interactions, and disease treatment guidelines

Practical Tip for Your Clinic

1. Weigh the patient first (even a simple bathroom scale is enough)
2. Open Medscape app → search the drug → enter weight in kg → get the calculated dose instantly
3. For any drug not on Medscape, cross-check with your printed Tarascon book