Strengthening the Pharmacovigilance Programme in Nepal

Authors

  • Santosh KC Senior Pharmacist
  • P Tragulpiankit Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacy, Mahidol University
  • P Gorsanam Faculty of Pharmacy, Siam University, Bangkok
  • IR Edwards Senior Advisor, Uppsala Monitoring Centre, Uppsala
  • K Alam Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology, Manipal College of Medical Sciences, Pokhara

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3126/nje.v3i1.8286

Keywords:

Adverse drug reaction, pharmacovigilance, healthcare professionals, knowledge, attitudes

Abstract

The aims of pharmacovigilance are early recognition of previously unknown adverse drug reactions (ADRs), recognition of changes in frequency of known ADRs, identification of risk factors and mechanism of ADRs, quantitative analysis of benefit/risk ratio and dissemination of safety information for rational drug prescribing and regulation. The pharmacovigilance programme in Nepal is a recent development. The Department of Drug Administration (DDA) took the initiative to set up a pharmacovigilance program in 2002; however, it was initiated systematically only after two years. DDA acts as the National Pharmacovigilance Centre (NPC). It collects ADR case reports from the Regional Pharmacovigilance Centre (RPC). Currently there are six RPCs operating in the country. The current reporting trends suggest high under-reporting of suspected ADRs. This paper is a review of those studies which are focused on pharmacovigilance and healthcare professionals’ perspectives on ADR reporting in Nepal. It also recommends the possible ways to improve the ADR reporting based on the context of Nepal.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/nje.v3i1.8286

Nepal Journal of Epidemiology 2013;3 (1): 230-235

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Author Biography

Santosh KC, Senior Pharmacist

Bir Hospital, Kathmandu

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Published

2013-03-30

How to Cite

KC, S., Tragulpiankit, P., Gorsanam, P., Edwards, I., & Alam, K. (2013). Strengthening the Pharmacovigilance Programme in Nepal. Nepal Journal of Epidemiology, 3(1), 230–235. https://doi.org/10.3126/nje.v3i1.8286

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 1 (2013)

Section

Short Communications

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