MHRA launches medicines side effects awareness drive

The UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has launched a social media campaign on the importance of reporting suspected side effects.

As part of the EU-wide Strengthening Collaboration for Operating Pharmacovigilance in Europe (SCOPE) project, from 7-11 November the regulator aims to raise awareness of adverse drug reactions and improve the public's understanding of how to report them.

Most reporting systems suffer from underreporting and the agency hopes the SCOPE initiative will strengthen its system's cache as a result.

Mick Foy, group manager for MHRA's vigilance and risk management for its medicines division, said: “The most important part of our work is making sure the medicines you and your family take are effective and acceptably safe.

“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 campaign centres on an animation of a patient who has a suspected adverse reaction to a treatment. As the story unfolds, it shows how patients and healthcare professionals make reports to the MHRA and their benefit to future patients.

The MHRA credits such reports for action including no longer prescribing aspirin to children, which resulted in the virtual elimination of Reye's syndrome cases in many EU countries.

Foy added: “You can help make medicines safer by reporting any suspected side effects easily and quickly through our Yellow Card Scheme online or via the mobile app.”

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