Centre Ties Up With 3 States to Boost Drug Safety, Adverse Reaction Reporting | India News
New Delhi: In a move aimed at strengthening drug safety and improving monitoring of adverse drug reactions, the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) on Tuesday signed agreements with pharmacy councils of Bihar, Maharashtra and Mizoram to expand pharmacovigilance and promote rational use of drugs.The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed at the IPC headquarters in Ghaziabad, seeks to improve adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting systems, expand ADR monitoring centers and raise awareness among pharmacists and healthcare professionals about safe and evidence-based use of drugs.Officials said the collaboration will strengthen India’s Pharmacovigilance Program (PvPI), under which healthcare professionals and patients report drug-related side effects and safety concerns. The initiative aims to improve drug safety surveillance and encourage reporting of adverse drug reactions in hospitals and pharmacies in participating states.Under the agreement, state pharmacy councils and IPC will work to promote greater use of the National Formulary of India (NFI), a reference document designed to guide safe, effective and rational prescribing and dispensing practices. Officials said efforts will be made to establish the formulary as a standard reference in hospital pharmacies.The partnership will additionally focus on training programs, workshops and continuing education for pharmacists on rational drug use, pharmacovigilance and patient safety.IPC Secretary-cum-Scientific Director Dr. V. Kalaiselvan signed the MoUs with representatives of Bihar, Maharashtra and Mizoram State Pharmacy Councils in the presence of senior health and regulatory experts.Officials said the collaboration was aimed at strengthening patient safety systems and improving early detection of drug-related risks through greater participation of pharmacists and healthcare institutions in drug safety monitoring.
