Pharmacovigilance

Searching social networks to detect adverse reactions

Regulators and pharmaceutical companies are monitoring social media posts for potential adverse drug reaction signals.…

Is it time to rethink the place of oral diclofenac?

In light of the withdrawal of diclofenac from OTC sale in UK pharmacies over concerns about cardiovascular safety, it may be time to reconsider the role of the drug altogether.…

Developing studies to test drug safety as a research fellow

In her role as principal research fellow at the Drug Safety Research Unit, Deborah Layton uses principles of pharmacoepidemiology to develop studies to help assess the safety of drugs.…

Major bleeding risk higher for dabigatran than for warfarin, study suggests

Research suggests that dabigatran is associated with a higher risk of bleeding compared with warfarin in a US population sample.…

Ensuring medicines safety and managing risk as a Qualified Person for Pharmacovigilance

Derek Woodcock is a Qualified Person for Pharmacovigilance and works as a consultant for a variety of pharmaceutical companies. Here, he explains why pharmacovigilance does not have to be seen as the department of “bad news”.…

Clinical Pharmacist’s monthly news round-up: the top 10 in October 2014

What has been happening in the world of pharmacy? Here’s our pick of must-read news from the past month……

UK regulator removes need to report all adverse drug reactions in children

It will no longer be compulsory for pharmacists, doctors and other healthcare professionals in the UK to report all suspected adverse drug reactions in children to the Yellow Card scheme, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has announced.…

OTC domperidone will be missed

The antiemetic domperidone’s reclassification shows the importance of pharmacovigilance, but the loss of such a useful over-the-counter medicine ought to have been better communicated to community pharmacies.…

Study highlights need for vigilance when warfarin therapy is started

Patients who are prescribed warfarin to treat atrial fibrillation (AF) are at an increased risk of stroke during the first 30 days of treatment compared with patients not given anticoagulants, according to a recent study (European Heart Journal, online 18 December 2013). However, in contrast, stroke…