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DNB Broad Specialty · Book Guide

Books for DNB Pharmacology.

The official NBE curriculum list, reproduced exactly, plus the editions residents actually read in 2026 — with recommended journals, a year-wise reading plan, and the references you'll need for your thesis and practical.

7Titles in the NBE list
10Current-edition picks
14Journals listed
3 yearsReading plan included
Official list

Books NBE lists in the DNB Pharmacology curriculum

These 7 titles are reproduced as they appear in the National Board of Examinations curriculum document for Pharmacology — spelling and abbreviations included. Treat this as the syllabus anchor.

  1. Goodman Gillman's The Pharmacological basis of therapeutics. Latest Ed. Hardman JG, Limbird LE (Tenth Edition) McGraw Hill press New York.
  2. Basic and Clinical Pharmacology Latest edition by Katzung
  3. Drug Discovery and Evaluation - Pharmacological assays. (1997) Ed.Vogel HG & Vogel WH. Springer-New York.
  4. Fundamentals of experimental pharmacology. Latest Ed.Ghosh MN. Scientific book agency, Calcutta.
  5. Text book of receptor pharmacology. Latest Eds. Forman JC, Johansen TJ CRC Press, New York
  6. Basic & Advances Biostatistics - A Indrayan
  7. Oxford Handbook of Medical Biostatistics
Read this before you buy. NBE curriculum documents are revised infrequently, so several entries name editions that are now years out of date, and a few titles are out of print. Use this list to know what NBE expects you to have read, then buy the current edition listed in the next section.

Source: NBE DNB Pharmacology curriculum

What residents actually use

Current editions, and what each one is for

The books most residents actually buy. These are the editions in circulation now, with a note on whether each is something you read cover to cover, keep as a reference, or open only for the viva.

  1. Goodman & Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of TherapeuticsBrunton, Knollmann · 14th edition · core referenceThe authority for mechanism and therapeutics depth; read selectively by system for theory papers.
  2. Basic & Clinical PharmacologyKatzung, Vanderah · 16th edition · core teaching textMain text for structured reading and for preparing undergraduate teaching sessions, which DNB expects.
  3. Rang & Dale's PharmacologyRitter, Flower, Henderson, Loke, MacEwan · 10th edition · concept textPreferred for receptor pharmacology and clean conceptual explanations in viva.
  4. Fundamentals of Experimental PharmacologyM.N. Ghosh · 7th edition · experimental pharmacology manualStandard Indian bench manual for animal experiment principles, bioassay and CPCSEA-era practical questions.
  5. Drug Discovery and Evaluation: Pharmacological AssaysVogel (Hock, ed.) · 4th edition · screening methods referenceUsed for screening-model questions and for designing thesis animal or in-vitro experiments.
  6. Essentials of Medical PharmacologyK.D. Tripathi · 9th edition · rapid revision textFast Indian revision resource and useful for drug availability and national programme context.
  7. Textbook of Clinical Pharmacology and TherapeuticsBennett, Brown, Sharma · clinical pharmacology textBridges to therapeutic decision-making, prescribing audits and rational drug use topics.
  8. New Drugs and Clinical Trials Rules 2019 and ICH-GCPCDSCO / ICH · 2019 Rules edition · regulatory referenceMandatory reading for clinical trial design, ethics committee and regulatory questions in theory and viva.
  9. Medical Biostatistics / Basic and Applied BiostatisticsAbhaya Indrayan · 5th edition · biostatistics referenceUsed for thesis analysis and for statistics questions that appear consistently in DNB pharmacology papers.
  10. Textbook of Pharmacovigilance / PvPI guidanceIPC-PvPI / Mann and Andrews · pharmacovigilance referenceNeeded for ADR causality assessment, PvPI reporting workflow and periodic safety reporting topics.
Printed in our shop

Pharmacology books we print most often

These are the pharmacology titles residents send us to print most often — the books that actually come through the shop, alongside the official list above.

We print files you send us. We do not host, sell or supply book PDFs — send us a file you are entitled to print and we print and bind it.

Journals

Journals NBE lists for Pharmacology

Journal club and the “recent advances” parts of the theory paper come from here. You do not need to read all of them — pick the two Indian journals and one international one and follow them properly.

Annual Review of Pharmacology and ToxicologyPharmacological ReviewsTrends in Pharmacological SciencesIndian Journal of pharmacologyIndian Journal of Physiology and PharmacologyAnnals of PharmacotherapyJ Pharmacology and Experimental TherapeuticsJournal of EthnopharmacologyNatureScienceEuropean Journal of Clinical PharmacologyBJCP and other pharmacology related journalsBJPClinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics
Reading plan

What to read, and when

Three years is less time than it sounds. The order below is what works for most DNB Pharmacology residents — broad and readable first, reference-level later, revision and drilling last.

Year 1

Build the base

Read Katzung or Rang & Dale system by system to rebuild the base, learn experimental pharmacology from Ghosh during the lab posting, and finalise the thesis protocol with CPCSEA/ethics clearance.

Year 2

Go deep, collect thesis data

Use Goodman & Gilman as the depth reference for selected systems, add clinical pharmacology, pharmacovigilance and clinical-trial regulation reading, run thesis experiments and present journal clubs.

Year 3

Revise, drill, submit

Revise Katzung plus KDT for speed, do a targeted Goodman & Gilman pass on high-yield topics, practise practical exercises and biostatistics numericals, and complete thesis submission well before the exam.

Thesis

References for your thesis

Protocol, methodology and reporting standards examiners expect you to have followed.

  • Indian Journal of Pharmacology; British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology
  • Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics; European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology
  • New Drugs and Clinical Trials Rules 2019 (CDSCO) and ICH-GCP E6(R2/R3)
  • ICMR National Ethical Guidelines (2017); CPCSEA guidelines for animal experimentation
  • CONSORT, ARRIVE and PRISMA reporting checklists
  • Medical Biostatistics - A. Indrayan
Practical & viva

What the practical actually tests

Books and material specifically useful for the clinical, spotter and viva stations.

  • Experimental pharmacology exercises and bioassay principles from Ghosh
  • Screening models and assay design from Vogel
  • Clinical pharmacy exercises: prescription writing, prescription audit, rational drug use, WHO prescribing indicators
  • ADR causality assessment (WHO-UMC, Naranjo) and PvPI form filling
  • Clinical trial protocol critique, informed consent document and ethics committee submission
  • Drug and dosage form identification, computer-assisted learning demonstrations, teaching-skill assessment
Frequently asked

DNB Pharmacology books — questions

Which books should I read for DNB Pharmacology?

The titles on this page are the ones residents and departments actually use, each with the edition in circulation now. Start with the first one listed and add the references as your reading deepens.

Which single book should I start with in first year of DNB Pharmacology?

Goodman & Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics by Brunton, Knollmann is the usual anchor. The authority for mechanism and therapeutics depth; read selectively by system for theory papers.

Are the editions listed here current?

Yes — we list the edition in circulation now for each title. Editions move quickly, so confirm the current one before you buy or print.

Do I need to buy every book on the list?

No. Most residents own three or four and use the department or library copy for the rest. That is exactly why printing selected chapters from a PDF works out cheaper than buying volumes you will open twice.

Can you print these books for me?

We print from the PDF you send us. Send the file on WhatsApp with your page count and whether you want colour, black and white or mixed, and we print, bind and deliver anywhere in India. We do not supply copyrighted book files.

How much does it cost to print a set of notes?

Black and white is 50 paise per page, colour is Rs 1 per page, and binding is Rs 40 per copy. A 400-page mixed set with binding usually works out around Rs 300 plus delivery.

Printing your DNB Pharmacology reading?

Send the PDF on WhatsApp — colour Rs 1/page, B&W 50p/page, binding Rs 40. Printed, bound and delivered anywhere in India.

Other specialties

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