Three questions on… desogestrel and panic attacks

UMC’s Research pharmacist Sarah Watson explains the significance of a recently published signal that links contraceptive drug desogestrel to panic attacks.

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Hey researcher, what are you reading?

A UMC researcher reviews a book that examines the French pharmacovigilance system through the eyes of patients affected by adverse drug reactions.

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Reporting adverse events in published and unpublished studies

A recent article aims to quantify the under-reporting of adverse events (AEs) in published medical literature, compared with unpublished sources.

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Could social media vigilance aid pharmacovigilance?

The theme of this year’s WHO PIDM programme members meeting investigated the true value of social media in signal detection and creating effective communication strategies.

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When medicines change our behaviour – New podcast out now

Adverse effects to medicines are not just physical in nature, but can manifest as behavioural side-effects too. How do we diagnose and treat these complex ADRs?

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Updating our approach to study adverse reactions

The traditional “drug-event combination” approach is too simplistic for complex side effects such as behavioural changes. We must adjust our methodology to address this intricacy.

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Preventing and reporting medication errors – New podcast out now

Medication errors account for the bulk of adverse events to medicines. How do they occur, how do we ensure they are reported if they do occur, and how may we prevent them?

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Safety monitoring of orphan drugs: The SFDA experience

The safety of orphan drugs is hard to monitor as they target rare diseases afflicting small patient populations. However, an initiative led by the SFDA aims to improve this.

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To genotype or not to genotype, that is the question

Our genes contribute anything from 15 to 95% of how we react to medicines. Why is this the case, and when is genetic testing necessary to avoid the risk of potential side effects?

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How can the ‘Black Swan Theory’ help us Prevent Adverse Drug Reactions?

How does an economics theory apply to drug safety, and how can we use it to better manage rare, unexpected, and serious adverse drug reactions?

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