The MHRA has increased its use of social media for its latest campaign to encourage the public to report any suspected side effects from taking over-the-counter medicines.

In joining Instagram, where it is @mhragovuk, the MHRA follows in the footsteps of England and Wales’ HTA body NICE (@nicecomms), which launched on the channel at the beginning of this month.

NICE has focused on AMR and diabetes to date, while the UK medicines regulator has so far been using Instgram to encourage the use of its Yellow Card scheme.

All regulatory reporting systems suffering from under-reporting and the MHRA hopes that its latest campaign will “both raise awareness and help strengthen the system”.

Mick Foy, group manager for MHRA’s Vigilance and Risk Management of Medicines division, said: “our campaign will help the public, patients and healthcare professionals report potential side effects and have confidence that their reports are making a difference.”

The MHRA’s social media campaign, of which its new Instagram account is just one element, is part of Strengthening Collaboration for Operating Pharmacovigilance in Europe (SCOPE), a joint action project funded by the European Union.

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