Drug Safety Matters

Children deserve the safest possible healthcare, yet they remain one of the most vulnerable patient populations when it comes to medicines safety. Ahead of World Patient Safety Day on 17 September, w…

This special episode was recorded at the mid-year symposium of the International Society of Pharmacovigilance (ISoP), 14–15 May 2025. Held in Uppsala, Sweden, the theme of the symposium was Improving…

Spontaneous adverse event reporting from healthcare professionals and patients is a cornerstone in pharmacovigilance systems. Unfortunately, it is a well-known issue that only a fraction of events is…

There are many reasons why use of medical products during pregnancy requires special attention. First and foremost, we want to be sure that the medicine is as safe as possible for both the pregnant p…

Human and veterinary pharmacovigilance (PV) share many goals, challenges and approaches. But there are also significant differences, such as the numerous animal species that veterinary PV needs to ta…

Human and veterinary pharmacovigilance (PV) share many goals, challenges and approaches. But there are also significant differences, such as the numerous species and breeds that veterinary PV needs t…

While structured data elements such as patient identifier, medicine name and reaction, are fundamental for adverse event reporting, they may not capture all relevant details. This is where the narrat…

Medication-related-harm (MRH) is especially prevalent in older adults due to changing physiology as the body ages, increased frailty, and the incidence of polypharmacy in this patient group. Giovanni…

Disproportionality analyses are a mainstay of pharmacovigilance research, but without clear guidelines, they often lead to confusion and misinterpretation. Enter the READUS-PV statement: the first-ev…

Duplicate reports are a big problem when it comes to signal detection, but with the help of machine learning and new ways of comparing reports, we may more effectively detect them. 

This episode is pa…

Ensuring trust in AI is vital to fully reap the benefits of the technology in pharmacovigilance. Yet, how do we do so while grappling with its ever-growing complexity?

This episode is part of the Upps…

Look-alike medicines, unclear communication and distractions during administration – medication errors may occur for many different reasons. They all have in common that they are unintended mistakes …

Medicines can affect our personality in positive ways, but they may also lead to destructive behaviours that can damage our relationships, finances, and overall quality of life. Michele Fusaroli from…

Serious and unexpected adverse drug reactions – the ‘black swans’ of pharmacovigilance – can place enormous strain on safety monitoring systems. Drawing examples from the COVID-19 pandemic, François …

The liver is the primary site for drug metabolism in the body, but it can be severely damaged by medicines or their toxic compounds. Rita Baião from the North Lisbon University Hospital Center review…

What did the drug safety community achieve in 2023 and how will the field develop in 2024? As the year comes to a close, we asked Angela Caro-Rojas, president of the International Society of Pharmaco…

To mark #MedSafetyWeek, which took place from 6–12 November, we’re releasing a special two-part episode on pharmacovigilance communication campaigns. In this second part, we hear from three #MedSafet…

To mark #MedSafetyWeek, which takes place from 6–12 November, we’re releasing a special two-part episode on pharmacovigilance communication campaigns. In this first part, we speak to Mitul Jadeja fro…

Herbal remedies have been used for thousands of years to treat what ails us. Yet why do we still know so little about their potential side effects compared to modern medicines?

This episode is part of…

A patient's perspective can ensure safe medical care and lead to new insights that traditional research may overlook. But how do we best harness that perspective to improve patient outcomes?

This epis…