The SAFETY of MEDICINES IN PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAMMES:

Pharmacovigilance an essential tool

Public health is defined as the organized efforts of society to protect, promote and restore people’s health. It is the combination of science, skills and beliefs that is directed to the maintenance and improvement of the health of all the people through collective or social actions. The programmes, services and institutions involved focus on the prevention of disease and the health needs of the population as a whole. Public health activities change in response to variations in technology and social values, but the goals remain the same:to promote health and to reduce the amount of disease, premature death and disease related discomfort and disability in the population.

Health promotion strategies contribute to the improvement of health and the prevention of diseases in developing and developed countries alike. Public health strategy is determined in each country according to the epidemiology of prevalent diseases and the local circumstances.

The IMPORTANCE of PHARMACOVIGILANCE

Safety Monitoring of medicinal products

The purpose of this document is:

• to present the case for the importance of pharmacovigilance,

• to record its growth and potential as a significant discipline within medical 

science, and

• to describe its impact on patient welfare and public health.

It highlights the need for critical examination of the strengths and weaknesses of present

pharmacovigilance systems in order to increase their impact. It anticipates developments

necessary to meet the challenges of the next ten years. It argues that the distinctive

approaches adopted by different countries in response to their individual needs should be

supported and fostered. The document also highlights the importance of collaboration and

communication at local, regional and international levels, to ensure pharmacovigilance

delivers its full benefits. 

Pharmacovigilance and all drug safety issues are relevant for everyone whose life is

touched in any way by medical interventions. The document is intended for the following,

wide-ranging readership: 

• Policy makers at all levels of healthcare, particularly those concerned with drug policy 

• Staff and consultants in national drug regulatory authorities

• Healthcare practitioners including doctors, nurses and pharmacists

• Pharmaceutical industry executives and scientists

• Professional staff in national pharmacovigilance centres

• Editors of medical and scientific journals

• Health epidemiologists

• Health economists

• Professional staff of poison and drug information centres

• Health administrators

• Consumer groups and patient support groups

• Legal advisors in health care

• Schools of health sciences, and • The concerned layperson.