[e-drug] Sharing info on Adverse Drug Reactions

[mechiel@zonnet.nl]

E-DRUG: Sharing info on Adverse Drug Reactions
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Dear E-druggers,

Small developing countries often don´t have sufficient human and financial resourses to implement a full pharmacovigilance-programme. Besides, IF they collect data on Adverse Drug Reactions, it would be most useful to exchange information with other countries on both regional and international level.

I´m aware that there are COMMERCIAL databases on ADR, but the fees these compagnies charge are often too high for the small budgets available for these purposes. Even the Uppsala Monitoring Centre that runs the WHO ADR database (Vigibase) charges high amounts for searches.

Ofcourse there are other platforms, like the FDA and EMEA and other platforms for ADR-registration in indusrialized countries, but the problem is that ADRs on many drugs (like artemisinin based combination-therapy) that are being used in Asia, South-America and Africa, are NOT available, simply because these are medicines that are not registred in these industrialized countries.

Can anybody help me to find non-commercial regional/international platforms/ADR-databases (in particular for Africa) that could help me to share/exchange information concerning ADRs?

I´m looking for:

Internet Based Platforms/Databases;
Contact adresses of key persons of regional/international platforms/pharmacovigilance programmes;
Etc.

Your help would of course be very much appreciated in these times of 'World Wide Information Availability',  where in many cases poorer countries cannot profit from the availability of information.

Many thanks in advance!

Mechiel Weits, M.Sc, D. Pharm
Netherlands
mechiel@zonnet.nl