Report on the 1999 Meeting of the UK Drug Utilization Research Group, Friday 18 June 1999, Keele Hall, University of Keele.

In addition to the oral presentations, nine poster presentations were displayed and viewed by conference delegates throughout the day. For the ®rst time, delegates of a DURG conference were given the opportunity to participate in an electronic voting system to obtain their views on a number of key issues relevant to the availability of medicines within the new NHS. Voting was repeated following a debate on prescribing and PCGs on the motion `Hippocrates was utilitarian?' Professor Stephen Chapman, Professor of Prescribing Studies, chaired the morning session.