E-DRUG: Conclusions of a High-Level Panel on Access and Patient Safety
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Pharmacovigilance is neither a luxury nor a distraction; it is a necessity. Conclusions of a High-Level Panel on Access and Patient Safety.
A panel that was part of the recent Africa Pharmacovigilance Meeting 2012 held at the Intercontinental Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya has advocated that developing countries strengthen their pharmacovigilance systems as a necessity for achieving improved treatment outcomes. The panel which was chaired by Margareth Ndomondo-Sigonda (New Partnership for Africa's Development, NEPAD Agency) included Dr. Paul Orhii (National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, Nigeria), Dr. Shanthi Pal (World Health Organization, WHO, Geneva), Dr. Alex Dodoo (WHO collaborating Center, Accra, Ghana), Mr. Anthony Boni (United States Agency for International Development, USAID, Washington), Dr. Stephen Duparc (Medicines for Malaria Venture, MMV, Paris), and Dr Jayesh Pandit (representing Dr. K.C. Koskei Pharmacy and Poisons Board, PPB, Kenya) also made the following recommendations for improving pharmacovigilance systems:
-Strengthen regulatory capacity to ensure robust safety monitoring systems
-Reduce preventable adverse events
-Address the role of industry in pharmacovigilance
-Build sustainable pharmacovigilance systems
The Africa Pharmacovigilance Meeting was organized by the Ministry of Health, Kenya, the Pharmacy and Poisons Board, and the USAID-funded Systems for Improved Access to Pharmaceuticals and Services (SIAPS) Program implemented by Management Sciences for Health (MSH). Funding for the meeting was provided through an interagency agreement between the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
The meeting brought together over 100 attendees from 32 countries including Thailand, Philippines, and Vietnam, and pharmacovigilance partners from the African regulatory authorities, World Health Organization (WHO), Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, European Medicines Agency, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, FDA, and USAID. The publication on Safety of Medicines in Sub-Saharan Africa: Assessment of Pharmacovigilance Systems and their Performance<http://apps.who.int/medicinedocs/en/m/abstract/Js19152en> was launched on the first day of the meeting followed by a two-day intensive workshop where countries shared current practices and collectively identified operational tools and guidelines needed to implement pharmacovigilance. The FDA provided training on vaccine safety surveillance on the third day.
For more information, follow the link to download the full description of the background, discussion, and recommendations from the panelists: http://africapv2012.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/e-drug-panel-access-patient-safety-final1.pdf
For questions, please contact pharmacovigilance@msh.org<mailto:pharmacovigilance@msh.org>.