The World Health Organization defines Pharmacovigilance as:
“The science and activities relating to the detection, evaluation, understanding and prevention of adverse effects of drugs or any other problems related to them.”
Pharmacovigilance fulfills a key objective in the medical care of patients: it collects information on the safety of medicines with the aim of preventing damage to health. Hence the importance of immediately reporting any adverse reactions to a drug.
The substance known as 2,4 dinitrophenol or DNP is a drug that has been used for weight loss. However, they are known to have produced serious health damage such as rash, yellowing of the skin, electrocardiogram alterations, gastroenteritis, kidney damage, confusion, agitation, seizures and death. In fact, its commercialization is prohibited internationally.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines it as:
“A response that is harmful or unintentional and that occurs with doses normally used in man.”
According to the above definition, an adverse reaction is any clinical manifestation (sign, symptom or laboratory disorder) that occurs in a patient and has a cause-and-effect relationship with the drug. It is also called a side effect or side effect.
We speak of a suspected adverse reaction when, despite not being certain that there is a cause-effect relationship between the drug and the clinical manifestation, there is some indication or appearance that such a relationship exists.
The term suspected adverse reaction is distinguished from the adverse event when there is no cause-effect relationship between the drug and the clinical manifestation, or it is not known whether there is a cause-effect relationship.
All people: patients, relatives, health professionals and the general public.
Pharmacovigilance, being a Public Health activity, admits the participation of all members of society. To participate, all you have to do is report each of the adverse reactions, suspected adverse reactions and adverse events.
- Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks of Mexico (COFEPRIS) http://www.cofepris.gob.mx/
- Department of Regulation and Control of Pharmaceutical and Allied Products of Guatemala http://www.medicamentos.com.gt/
- Ministry of Health of Panama http://www.minsa.gob.pa/
- National Institute of Drug and Food Surveillance of Colombia https://www.invima.gov.co/
- General Directorate of Medicines, Supplies and Drugs of Peru http://www.digemid.minsa.gob.pe/
- Ministry of Health of Costa Rica http://www.ministeriodesalud.go.cr/
- National Institute of Hygiene “Rafael Rangel” of Venezuela http://www.inhrr.gob.ve/
- National Agency for Regulation, Control and Sanitary Surveillance of Ecuador http://www.controlsanitario.gob.ec/cnfv/
- Institute of Public Health of the Ministry of Health of Chile http://www.ispch.cl/
- Uppsala Monitoring Centre http://www.who-umc.org/
- VigiAccess (publicly accessible database of the Uppsala Monitoring Center)
Do you have a reaction to a medication?
Your health is of great importance to us.
Report any adverse reactions to your medication.
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