PMRA is among 106 national regulatory agencies and international non-governmental organisations, across 94 countries, taking part in this year’s #MedSafetyWeek, a global social media campaign aimed at raising awareness about the importance of reporting side effects of medicines.

#MedSafetyWeek is an international campaign led by Uppsala Monitoring Centre (UMC), the World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for International Drug Monitoring. The campaign is supported by WHO and by members of the International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory Authorities (ICMRA).

Medicines are used by millions of people to treat their illness. However, sometimes medicines can cause side effects. By using medicines correctly, we can drastically reduce the risk of side effects and severe harm. And by reporting side effects when they occur, we can help make medicines safer for everyone.

This year’s ninth global #MedSafetyWeek campaign theme centres on the importance of using medicines in the right way to prevent side effects, and to report side effects when they do occur.

Research shows that about half of all side effects are preventable. Patient safety is our top priority and during the #MedSafetyWeek campaign, we want to remind patients to take their medicines as instructed and healthcare professionals to review therapies before prescribing them.

The purpose of safety monitoring is to gain more information about known side effects and find out about new ones. Constantly collecting and monitoring information from the reports received helps identify risks associated with medicines and take action to minimize harm.