E-DRUG: Pharmacovigilance in the EU
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dear E-druggers,
Recent high-profile drug withdrawals, such as Vioxx and Lipobay, have
rightly proved to sharpened public interest in the European system of
pharmacovigilance. Moreover, the tendency towards the direct promotion
of medicines to consumers (especially via the internet), the limited
amount of clinical trial data available to the general public, shorter
approval times and the switching of prescription only medicines to
over-the-counter, all add up to the need for robust post-marketing
surveillance. It is therefore timely and appropriate that HAI has
rejoined the fray on post-marketing surveillance, and engaged with the
European Commission's (DG Enterprise) consultation on pharmacovigilance
in the EU. We argue that it is flawed, and certainly can't offer the
robust and responsive system that European citizens might expect, need
and vote for. You can access the full report by going to the home page
of the HAI Europe website www.haiweb.org and
clicking on the announcement referring to pharmacovigilance.
With kind regards and very best wishes,
Tim
Dr Tim Reed, Director
Health Action International (HAI) Europe
Jacob van Lennepkade 334T
1053 NJ Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Tel: +31 20 683 3684
Fax: +31 20685 5002
Email: tim@haiweb.org
Website: http://www.haiweb.org