MedDRA Desktop Browser FAQ

Yes. MedDRA subscribers receive a MedDRA browser from the MSSO, which is available on the MedDRA Downloads page. The browser can load the MedDRA text files and lets you view and search the terminology.

The browser versions and MedDRA versions are independent. You do not need a new version of the browser to view a new version of MedDRA. To view SMQs, however, you need MedDRA Browser Version 2.0 or later. The current release is 3.0.1b.

The MSSO provides a step-by-step guide to getting started with MedDRA, including instructions on loading MedDRA files into the MedDRA Browser. It is located on the New Subscriber Information section of this web site. If additional assistance is needed, subscribers may contact our help desk at mssohelp@ngc.com.

The Browser is designed for a standalone installation on a workstation. Some users have installed the browser on their corporate network. However, the browser is not designed to work this way.

The MedDRA Desktop Browser is recommended for individual work stations.

The MedDRA Desktop Browser can be installed on as many workstations as you would like. There is not a separate enterprise license. Note that anyone using the MedDRA Desktop Browser to view MedDRA data must be covered by a valid MedDRA subscription.

You need to import MedDRA ASCII files into the browser. If you are not a subscriber, contact the MSSO at mssosubscribe@ngc.com for subscription information. If you are a subscriber, please contact your organization's MedDRA point of contact to access the files.

If you are using the MedDRA Desktop Browser, the term icons indicate which are primary. If you select the Term Details option (by right-clicking), all of the SOCs will be displayed with the primary indicated by a blue SOC icon. In the main hierarchy displayed in the browser, blue PT icons indicate a multi-axial term shown in its primary location, green PT icons indicate a multi-axial term shown in a secondary location, and red PT icons indicate a singly occurring primary term. There is also a legend available for view in the browser to reference colors for primary allocation.

For other applications, it will depend on how they use the data from the MedDRA ASCII files. Primary path data are contained in the Mdhier.asc file.

This was a known problem with running older versions of the browser in certain versions of Windows where the user does not have administrator rights. The current version of the browser solves this problem. The browser was not designed to be run over a network, so this could also be the source of the problem.