Vusumuzi Dube
Judith Phiri, Business Reporter
THE Medicine Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) has embarked on the seventh annual #MedSafetyWeek to encourage everyone to report suspected side effects of medicines.
The campaign started on Monday and is running until Sunday 13 November
In a statement, the authority said every report to the MCAZ helps to improve the safety of medicines for all patients.
“People are encouraged to report suspected side effects of medicines as part of the global #MedSafetyWeeksocial media campaign. This year’s global campaign involves medicines regulators from 81 countries and focuses on the key role of every healthcare professional, patient, and carer who reports a suspected side effect and contributes to using medicines safely,” said MCAZ.
The authority said all medicines may cause side effects in some patients, so there are steps in place to continuously monitor their safety after they are placed on the market and the purpose of safety monitoring is to gain more information about known side effects and find out about new ones.
MCAZ said regulators operate systems to detect and analyze those side effects and prevent harm to future patients.
“The Pharmacovigilance and Clinical Trials Division (PVCT), which is the National Pharmacovigilance Centre, under the MCAZ, collects, organizes, and investigates reports of suspected side effects. Since it was created, it has helped identify several safety issues which were not previously recognised as being linked to a particular medicine until the MCAZ received information from reports,” read part of the statement.
“By reporting suspected side effects to the MCAZ, you are actively participating in identifying emerging safety issues, so that the MCAZ can take action when necessary and protect you and others from harm.”
MCAZ public relations officer, Mr Davison Kaiyo said every report made played a critical role to allow action to be taken to minimise risks.
“Every report made by a patient, a healthcare professional, or a carer plays a key role in gaining more knowledge about the benefits and risks of medicines in clinical use and allows action to be taken to minimise risks.
“Reporting suspected side effects to the MCAZ helps to improve the safety of medicines for all patients and, in some cases, can result in better tailored prescribing advice, which can improve patient outcomes. If you or a patient you are supporting experience a side effect with a medicine, make sure to report it to us promptly,” said Mr Kaiyo.
MCAZ is a statutory body established by an act of Parliament, The Medicines and Allied Substances Control Act (MASCA) [Chapter 15.03]. It houses the National Pharmacovigilance Centre which participates in the WHO Programme for International Drug Monitoring.
The National Pharmacovigilance Centre is also responsible for monitoring the safety of medicines on the Zimbabwean market, and encourages anyone who has experienced an adverse reaction (side effect) to report to the MCAZ.
derick.khumalo