Conclusion

Pharmacovigilance data contribute to the ongoing reassessment of the risk/benefit ratio of drugs in real-life prescribing situations. On an individual level, it helps to choose the best drug for a given patient; on a population level, it leads to the decision whether or not to keep a drug on the market, or to inform healthcare professionals and the public of the potential risk.

Pharmacovigilance is more than just a monitoring activity. It is part of a wider process of preventing and assessing drug risk in the day-to-day practice of healthcare professionals. It is an integral part of quality and risk management processes. The development of epidemiological studies, as a complement to existing vigilance systems and the active search for signals, provides a global view of the real-life safety profile of drugs.

According to Prescrire, public...