Pharmacovigilance: Review

Prior to release onto the market, all new medicines must have completed a series of clinical trials with patients. These trials will have aimed to establish the safety and efficacy of the drug for the treatment of a particular disease within a selected sample of the population. Not everything is known about a medicine when it receives its licence for marketing. Pharmacovigilance is the science associated with detection, assessment, understanding and prevention of adverse effects of drugs. The aim of pharmacovigilance is the safer and more effective use of medicines for everyone. It involves all activities that relate to noticing, assessing, understanding, managing and preventing adverse effects of medicines for individuals and populations. This book provides reliable, balanced information about Pharmacovigilance process.