The impact of pharmacovigilance on the Nigerian healthcare system

Abstract

Introduction: Pharmacovigilance (PV) is the science and activities relating to the detection, assessment, understanding and prevention of adverse drug reaction or any other drug- related problems such as drug abuse and misuse, medication errors, lack of efficacy and counterfeit or substandard medicines. PV also encompasses surveillance of side effects after short-term and long-term use of medicines. The experiences from the thalidomide tragedy which occurred from 1956 to 1962 resulting in the births of about 10,000 severely malformed infants , have influenced the World Health Organization (WHO) to initiate an international programme called pharmacovigilance in the year 1968 for the sole purpose of monitoring the safety of medicines use by the general population. Since year 2004, several African countries have been actively involved in PV including Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Kenya, Morrocco, Botswana, Cameroon, Mozambique, Sierra Leone,Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Methodology/Results: This paper highlights the pharmacovigilance activities in Nigeria The activities include training and capacity building for healthcare providers, cohort event monitoring study, incorporating PV in public health programmes, public enlightenment, assessment of the National pharmacovigilance system, development of data tools for capturing of Adverse Events Following Immunizations (AEFIs), quality assurance through PV, research, safety of herbal medicines and the recent launch of the National PV policy Conclusion: These activities have no doubt contributed to safety awareness and generated evidence-based safety data for the benefit of the health systems. Consequently, the risks that are associated with the use of medicines are significantly reduced.