Good Pharmacovigilance Practices Research Articles

Social Media as a Source of Information for the Detection of Adverse Drug Reactions in Post-Marketing Surveillance: A Review

INTRODUCTION. With the development of the Internet and the increasing availability of social networks and fora, patients have received an opportunity to share their medication experiences online. According to the guidelines on Good Pharmacovigilance Practices, social media can be considered an important additional source of patient-derived information in post-marketing surveillance, but the effectiveness of their use in detecting adverse drug reactions (ADRs) is still being investigated.AIM. This study aimed to analyse the results of relevant original studies and assess the potential of using social networks and online patient fora as a source of information on ADRs associated with the use of medicinal products.DISCUSSION. Published studies indicate that posts on social networks and patient fora describe both minor and serious ADRs, including new ADRs. The relevance of social media as a source of information about the safety of a medicinal product varies depending on several factors, including the medicinal product class and time on the market, as well as the platform demographics. Young users (18–44 years) are interested in online discussions about medicinal products for mental and reproductive system disorders. Users aged 45–64 years tend to discuss the use of medicinal products for chronic pain (including muscle pain), menopause, and gastritis. Discussions among users over 65 years old predominantly focus on medicinal products for diabetes, heart conditions, and muscle pain. People are much more likely to describe ADRs associated with the use of medicinal products for orphan diseases and cancer on fora for patients than on social networks in general, and vice versa for ADRs associated with the use of medicinal products for mental disorders. In addition, social media may be of interest as a source of information about cases of overdose, misuse and off-label use of medicinal products, and use of medicinal products during pregnancy and lactation.CONCLUSIONS. Social media can be a source of valuable information about the safety of medicinal products and the impact of ADRs on the quality of patients’ lives. Marketing authorisation holders can obtain new information about the safety of medicinal products by extending their safety monitoring strategies to include social media. Nevertheless, since the relevance of a particular social network or patient forum for the detection of ADR cases varies considerably, a preliminary assessment is necessary to ascertain the presence of information on the medicinal product of interest.

Submission of Documents on the Pharmacovigilance System as Part of the Registration Dossier within the Framework of the EAEU Procedures: Analysis of Requirements and Typical Errors

INTRODUCTION. Documents on the pharmacovigilance system of the marketing authorisation holder (MAH), including the Pharmacovigilance System Master File (PSMF) and the PSMF-based summary of the pharmacovigilance system (SPS), are a mandatory component of the registration dossier for a medicinal product. Applicants must submit and update these documents in strict accordance with the legislation of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). Systematisation of the requirements for drafting and submitting documents on the pharmacovigilance system will help applicants streamline the documentation process.AIM. This study aimed to analyse the requirements for submitting either the PSMF or the SPS, depending on the EAEU marketing authorisation procedure, and to describe typical errors made by applicants when submitting these documents.DISCUSSION. The content of dossier documents on the pharmacovigilance system is regulated by the Rules of Good Pharmacovigilance Practice of the Eurasian Economic Union (Decision No. 87 of the Council of the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) dated 3 November 2016), and their submission is governed by the Rules of Marketing Authorisation and Assessment of Medicinal Products for Human Use (EEC Council Decision No. 78 dated 3 November 2016). MAHs are required to keep documents on the pharmacovigilance system and the corresponding registration dossiers up to date. This article summarises the specific requirements for submitting either the PSMF or the SPS, depending on the EAEU marketing authorisation procedure. Additionally, this article highlights typical errors made by MAHs when preparing documents on the pharmacovigilance system. According to the EAEU Rules of Good Pharmacovigilance Practice, the first application submitted for marketing authorisation of a medicinal product in the EAEU should include the PSMF, and subsequent applications should include the SPS as part of the registration dossier. Changes to the pharmacovigilance documents should be made in accordance with the classifier (EEC Council Decision No. 78 dated 3 November 2016).CONCLUSIONS. This analysis of the requirements for the PSMF or the SPS as part of various marketing authorisation procedures will facilitate compliance with the requirements of the EAEU legislative acts and ensure correct submission of necessary documents on the pharmacovigilance system by applicants. In addition, regulatory authorities will make fewer requests to submit missing information and grant more marketing authorisations.

The STAR Compass to Guide Future Pharmacovigilance Based on a 10-Year Review of the Strengthened EU System.

This article reflects on the 2010 pharmacovigilance legislation of the European Union (EU). Its legislative aim of better patient and public health protection through new responsibilities for pharmaceutical companies and regulatory bodies is considered to have been achieved and is well supported by the good pharmacovigilance practices 'EU-GVP'. For future progress, we set out a vision for high-quality pharmacovigilance in a world of ongoing medical, technological and social changes. To deliver this vision, four principles are proposed to guide actions for further progressing the EU pharmacovigilance system: synergistic interactions with healthcare systems; trustworthy evidence for regulatory decisions; adaptive process efficiency; and readiness for emergency situations (the 'STAR principles'). Like a compass, these principles should guide actions for building capacity, technology and methods; improving regulatory processes; and expanding policies, frameworks and research agendas. Fit for the future, the EU system should achieve further improved outputs in terms of safe, effective and trusted use of medicines and positive health outcomes within patient-centred healthcare.

Pharmacovigilance: Past, Present and Future

Pharmacovigilance is a field now everyone in healthcare industry is well aware of. Pharmacovigilance study ensure that the medicine consumed by patient is effective enough to be sell in market and having less harm as compared to its benefit. Historically the medicine safety was not the prime focus during approval of medicine but some unforeseen events happened in past emphasized the need of stringent rules and regulation on drug research and approval process. Though many events happened in past which harmed the mankind seriously but thalidomide was the biggest tragedy happened and turning to be the stepping stone of modern pharmacovigilance. Many countries like USA, Japan and UK realized the importance of pharmacovigilance to ensure patient safety and took serious steps to regularize the drug development process. At collaborative level also many countries come forward to strengthen pharmacovigilance. World health organization (WHO)-Uppsala Monitoring Centre, Council for International Organizations of Medical Science (CIOMS), International council on harmonization (ICH) and Good Pharmacovigilance Practice (GVP) are the bodies which lay down stringent rules and regulations on drug development process and primarily focused on drug safety. Now pharmacovigilance come long a way since its inception back in history, and modern pharmacovigilance is not remains limited to only check effectiveness and safety of medicine but its ensuring the patient safety. It uses many advance tools and trends for effective pharmacovigilance process and to dig more and more safety data related to medicine which finally uses to ensure patient safety.

Harmonization of individual case safety reports transmission requirements among PAHO reference authorities: a review of their current regulation.

To perform optimal monitoring of the safety profile in the postmarketing phase, Marketing Authorization Holders and National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs) must evaluate the adverse drug reactions (ADRs) that occurred and characterize their nature, frequency, and severity. Management is possible through Individual Case Safety Reports (ICSRs), which are the reports of organized and processed data. Globally, the International Council for Harmonisation (ICH) E2B guideline suggests harmonized activities for the ICSR electronic content and transmission. In America, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is the agency responsible to implement cooperation among its members, which are recognized as National Regulatory Authorities of Reference (NRARs) such as Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, and the United States. PAHO published the 'Good Pharmacovigilance Practices for the Americas' suggesting improvement and harmonization in the region. After reviewing the regulatory framework, it is assumed that all NRARs have a regulated ICSR transmission system (i.e. a systematic vigilance system for collecting, analyzing, and disseminating information from ADRs). However, significant differences exist, such as the requirement for social media vigilance, expedited and non-expedited ICSRs, coding, severity, and transmission. The volume of ICSRs has significantly increased, due to using electronic standards managed by the NRAs, which facilitates early identification of new ADRs, allowing the implementation of novel minimization activities, contributing to the continuous assessment of the benefit-risk balance of medicines. Nevertheless, there is still area for improvement, especially in Latin America.

Model for measuring the impact of good pharmacovigilance practices of COVID-19 patients on hcp reactivity: Morocco case study

This paper presents a conceptual model used to evaluate how the improvement of good pharmacovigilance practices by patients during COVID-19 period influences the reactivity of the healthcare professionals (HCPs) in the Draa Tafilalet region in Morocco, concerning the reporting of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) through barriers that influence the reporting from both patients and HCPs. The empirical study is based on a survey submitted to a sample of a total of 180 HCP and on the application of latent variable structural modelling through the partial least squares (PLS) method. The 2017 version of the XL-STAT software served to perform the statistical calculations. The study investigates the reliability and validity of the proposed model. Our conclusions show that the improvement of good pharmacovigilance practices impact positively the reactivity of HCP in terms of ADRs reporting. The reliability of the measurement was > 0.7, which allowed us to test the internal and external validity of our conceptual model. 11 hypotheses were validated against two invalid derivative hypotheses. Spontaneous ADRs reporting is the cornerstone of any pharmacovigilance system aiming to maintain patient safety. Our findings indicate the necessity firstly, to initiate a training program on reporting for all HCPs, and secondly, to inform the general public about the national pharmacovigilance center, where ADRs can be reported. Both initiatives aim to keep the culture of ADR reporting perennial.

Analysis of Errors Identified during Regulatory Review of Risk Management Plans Submitted as Part of Registration Dossiers

Scientific relevance. On 6 December 2022, an updated version of the Rules for Good Pharmacovigilance Practice of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU GVP) came into force. The greatest changes were made to the requirements for pharmacovigilance documents, particularly the risk management plan (RMP). In practice, the changed EAEU GVP has resulted in multiple errors, creating the need to thoroughly analyse their structure and causes and to develop recommendations for their prevention.Aim. This study aimed to identify, analyse, and collate inconsistencies between the information submitted by marketing authorisation holders in their RPMs and the updated EAEU GVP requirements.Materials and methods. The Scientific Centre for Expert Evaluation of Medicinal Products analysed 50 RMPs received after 6 December 2022 as part of registration dossiers aimed to support marketing authorisation applications and/or align the registration dossiers with the EAEU requirements.Results. The errors made by applicants when preparing RMPs were categorised according to their influence on the interpretation of a medicinal product’s safety profile. The errors leading to incorrect safety profile interpretations were considered type 1 errors (63% of the cases). The errors affecting the perception of the RMP but not the interpretation of the safety profile (e.g., grammatical errors, notes and comments by applicants, incorrect translation of terms) were deemed type 2 errors (37% of the cases). The majority of EAEU GVP noncompliance cases were detected in Part II of the RMP, the section providing the most information on the safety profile of a medicinal product.Conclusions. There are several ways to improve the quality of RMP preparation. The information included in the RMP should be compared with the information provided in the registration dossier. The RMP should be incorporated into the integrated pharmaceutical quality system according to the requirements of good practices.A responsible employee of the marketing authorisation holder’s quality assurance system should control the final RMP version. Employees of pharmacovigilance departments should receive regular training.

Signal management and risk minimization strategy: a case study on obinutuzumab and non-overt disseminated intravascular coagulation

Introduction: In December 2020, the Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA) in collaboration with the Italian Regional Centers of Pharmacovigilance evaluated four individual case safety reports (ICSRs) reporting obinutuzumab and non-overt disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) as a new possible signal. In this study, we described the process of signal management for obinutuzumab-associated non-overt DIC.Methods: In accordance with the Guideline on Good Pharmacovigilance Practices Module IX, we described the process of the Italian and European Union signal management process in five steps: signal detection, signal validation, signal confirmation, signal analysis, and prioritization and signal assessment.Results: In the signal detection phase, four cases of obinutuzumab-associated non-overt DIC met the criteria for signal definition (ROR 213.6 and IC025 77). In the signal validation phase, both the Italian and European databases of spontaneously reported adverse drug reactions were investigated with supporting evidence from medical literature. Four patients (two men and two women aged 67–77) were in treatment with obinutuzumab for chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and they developed a subclinical DIC within 24 h from the administration of the drug. The DIC spontaneously resolved in all cases. Three more ICSRs were reported in the EudraVigilance database. The medical literature provided poor evidence of the possible association between obinutuzumab and DIC. The signal was subsequently validated, first by AIFA and then by EMA. The signal was confirmed by the Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC) Rapporteur in the “signal confirmation” phase, and it entered “signal analysis and prioritization” and “signal assessment”. In these phases, the PRAC assessed and confirmed DIC as a possible adverse reaction to obinutuzumab. Finally, the Summary of Product characteristics was updated with this new risk.Conclusion: Despite the intrinsic difficulties linked to the nature of the event itself, the process of signal detection and the issuing of the risk minimization measures by the Italian Medicines Agency as part of the EU procedures have proven to be efficient.

Audits and inspections of pharmacovigilance systems in Russia

The implementation of pharmacovigilance activities is impossible in isolation from compliance with the quality requirements of medicines and the activities of pharmaceutical and medical organizations throughout the pharmaceutical practice, as well as without access to sales plans, sales results and full relevance of information on drug conditions in all markets and in all cases of application. Properly conducted audit or inspection evaluation of the pharmacovigilance system makes it possible to identify and prevent drug safety problems at all stages of its life cycle.The aim. Development of a risk-based strategy for planning and passing audits and inspections of the pharmacovigilance system for the subsequent creation of effective programs for assessing the pharmacovigilance system on its basis.Material and methods. The study used structurallogical, empirical methods, general logical methods of scientific knowledge, methods of generalization and extrapolation.Results. The plans and results of audits and inspections of pharmacovigilance systems of Russian and foreign pharmaceutical organizations and their pharmacovigilance vendors were analyzed. A risk-based strategy and a checklist for planning internal and external audits of pharmacovigilance systems of Russian pharmaceutical organizations and their vendors for pharmacovigilance have been developed and recommendations for training internal auditors of pharmacovigilance systems and audit teams have been developed for them.Conclusion. Risk assessment indicators adapted for Russia have been developed, according to which Russian pharmaceutical organizations and their pharmacovigilance vendors can assess the likelihood of the risk of priority inclusion in the plan of Russian inspections of pharmacovigilance systems for compliance with the requirements of the good pharmacovigilance practice of the Eurasian Economic Union. Recommendations were prepared for the executive management and pharmacovigilance specialists of Russian pharmaceutical organizations in terms of assessing regulatory risks for the quality system of the pharmacovigilance system, planning and conducting audits; evaluating the relationship of pharmacovigilance with other good practices and with information from the plans and results of the organization as a whole. The indicators adapted for Russia for assessing the compliance of the pharmacovigilance system with the rules of the NPF EAEU are given.

Off-Label Prescribing in Paediatric Cardiology: Regulatory Aspects and Safety Assessment by Spontaneous Reporting

In paediatrics, it is a common practice to use pharmaceuticals outside the approved Summary of Product Characteristics (i.e. off-label). According to the literature, up to 45% of inpatient paediatric prescriptions and 10–20% of outpatient ones are for off-label uses. It is essential to analyse such uses, as it helps medical practitioners act reasonably and professionally. The aim of the study was to explore the possibility of using spontaneous reports to assess the risks of the off-label use of cardiac medicinal products in children in the Irkutsk region. Materials and methods . The authors analysed 25 reporting forms on adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in paediatric cardiac patients from the database of the Regional Centre for Drug Safety Monitoring of the Irkutsk Region and regional data from the Automated Information System (AIS) of the Federal Service for Surveillance in Healthcare of the Russian Federation (Roszdravnadzor) submitted in 2009–2020. The inclusion criterion for reporting forms was a causal relationship between the off-label use of a medicinal product and the ADR that was scored as “possible” or higher on the Naranjo probability scale. Results . According to the reporting forms, the off-label use of cardiac medicinal products in children was associated with ADRs, such as angiooedema, cutaneous symptoms, and bronchospasm. The majority of ADRs (84%) were considered severe. The medicinal products were prescribed for heart failure, arterial hypertension, and cardiac arrhythmias. The majority of ADR reports (75%) were submitted by inpatient medical organisations. Conclusions . The analysis of spontaneous ADR reporting databases is a simple and informative method for studying the safety of medicinal products. It is necessary to raise awareness of ADRs associated with off-label prescribing amongst paediatric cardiologists in order to reduce the incidence of ADRs. The following contributions will improve the quality of medical care: all parties involved with pharmaceuticals should adhere to good pharmacovigilance practices, medical practitioners should be actively involved in treatment safety monitoring, and the professional training curricula of paediatric cardiologists and paediatricians should include specific units on the practical functioning of pharmacovigilance.

Signal Management: Updated Requirements of the EAEU Good Pharmacovigilance Practice

The Rules of Good Pharmacovigilance Practice of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU GVP Guideline) came into force in the EAEU Member States in 2017. Over the next 5 years, marketing authorisation holders and competent authorities managed to build effective pharmacovigilance systems. The current version of the EAEU GVP Guideline was published in May 2022 and enacted on 6 December 2022. Amongst the critical pharmacovigilance processes, a special place is reserved to the process of signal management. The aim of the study was to analyse the new content of the EAEU GVP Guideline related to signal management. The authors reviewed the amendments introduced to the module of the EAEU GVP Guideline on signal management. This article is the first scholarly publication in the Russian language on the updated signal management process. The key changes include a detailed consideration of terminology issues, signal validation and prioritisation processes, notifying competent authorities of signal evaluation results, managing emerging safety issues, and functions of new automated systems: an integrated database of adverse drug reactions and a system for tracking safety issues.

Current career situations of Chinese pharmacovigilance professionals working for pharmaceutical companies: an exploratory survey

BackgroundPharmacovigilance in China has experienced rapid development in the past 30 years. The implementation of Good Pharmacovigilance Practice in China since the end of 2021 heralds a new era of pharmacovigilance affairs, which puts forward higher requirements for the quantity and quality of pharmacovigilance personnel. This study aimed to preliminarily explore the current career situations of pharmacovigilance professionals working in China for pharmaceutical companies.MethodsA questionnaire was adapted from research in the USA and Europe with the help of several pharmacovigilance experts. Snowball sampling was used to conduct an exploratory survey to obtain the frequency of basic demographic information, work status, and career expectations of pharmacovigilance professionals working for pharmaceutical companies.ResultsThe personnel engaged in pharmacovigilance work for pharmaceutical companies were mainly medical or pharmaceutical undergraduates within 3 years of graduation. Their work intensity and pressure were relatively high. The training provided by their universities and enterprises could not well meet their needs to improve their job competence. Although they were optimistic about pharmacovigilance and will not change their career, most of them were planning to change their employers.ConclusionThere was a gap between the demand and supply of pharmacovigilance personnel. Relevant regulatory authorities and industry associations should guide higher education institutions to collaborate with pharmacovigilance specialists to strengthen pharmacovigilance education for medical or pharmaceutical students, on the basis of which pharmacovigilance certification courses and continuing education courses can be developed. Meanwhile, pharmaceutical enterprises should consider reasonably adjusting work intensity and income to avoid a high turnover rate.

Risk Management Plan: An Expert Analysis of Changes to the EAEU Good Pharmacovigilance Practice Requirements for the Content and Submission of the Document

The Council of the Eurasian Economic Commission published Decision No. 81 “On Amendments to the Rules of Good Pharmacovigilance Practice of the Eurasian Economic Union” on 19 June 2022 and enacted it on 6 December 2022. A risk management plan (RMP) is a key component of pharmacovigilance system documentation to be submitted in the marketing authorisation dossier for a medicinal product. The aim of the study was to review the changes to the requirements for the RMP structure, content, and submission from a regulatory expert’s perspective. Significant changes have been introduced to the requirements set by the regulatory authorities of the Eurasian Economic Union for RMPs for medicinal products. In particular, the requirements for the content of parts and modules of RMPs have been clarified and expanded. Furthermore, the amendments have introduced a new mandatory requirement that the information in parts and modules of the RMP and the dossier for a medicinal product should be consistent. Marketing authorisation holders have been provided with a detailed description of the conditions, procedures, and exceptional situations for submitting RMPs in dossiers. The updated requirements will help marketing authorisation holders improve and streamline their risk management processes.

New Edition of the EAEU Good Pharmacovigilance Practice: What Has Changed?

In late 2016, the Council of the Eurasian Economic Commission adopted the first version of the Rules of Good Pharmacovigilance Practice of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU GVP Guideline) based on a similar pharmacovigilance guidance published in the EU in 2014. By Decision No.81 of 19.06.2022, the Council of the Eurasian Economic Commission has amended the EAEU GVP Guideline, and the new version has been effective since 06.12.2022. The amendment has introduced a major revision to the terminology and significant changes to the sections on the risk management system and on organisation of safety information and signal management. The current EAEU GVP Guideline includes new subsections and a reviewed procedure for submitting pharmacovigilance documents to the regulatory authorities. In this interview, we have discussed the importance of the newly introduced pharmacovigilance changes in EAEU member states for the pharmaceutical industry with Dmitriy A. Rozhdestvensky, Candidate of Medical Sciences, Head of the Section of Coordination of Activities in the Sphere of Circulation of Medicines and Medical Products of the Technical Regulation and Accreditation Department of the Eurasian Economic Commission.

Pharmacovigilance System Master File: An Overview of Changes in the EAEU Good Pharmacovigilance Practice

The development of international regulatory practices and the accumulation of new experience in pharmacovigi­lance prompted the need to amend the Rules of Good Pharmacovigilance Practice of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU GVP Guideline), first adopted in 2016. The aim of the study was to review, from a regulatory expert’s perspective, the changes to the structure and presentation of the pharmacovigilance system master file (PSMF) introduced with the amendment of the EAEU GVP Guideline effective since December 6, 2022. The authors compared the requirements for the PSMF outlined in the new edition of the EAEU GVP Guideline adopted by Decision No.81 of the Council of the Eurasian Economic Commission of 19.06.2022 “On Amendments to the Rules of Good Pharmacovigilance Practice of the Eurasian Economic Union” with the requirements described in the previous version of this document. The structure and content of Module III, Pharmacovigilance System Master File, have been significantly amended in the new version of the EAEU GVP Guideline; this will require marketing authorisation holders (MAHs) to revise the PSMFs describing pharmacovigilance system data. The most significant editorial changes have been made to the paragraphs concerning the PSMF format, the pharmacovigilance quality system, and the presentation of information in the Annexes. The amendment has strengthened the control of records and documentation related to the pharmacovigilance system. Electronic PSMFs are acceptable; electronic book-marking and searchable text make working with the PSMF more convenient for representatives of MAHs and experts of regulatory authorities. Aligning of the PSMF with the requirements of the new edition of the EAEU GVP Guideline will contribute to improving the pharmacovigilance system operation and performance.

Periodic Benefit–Risk Evaluation Report: A Review of Changes

A periodic benefit–risk evaluation report (PBRER) is a retrospective evaluation document enabling marketing authorisation holders to present the results of a critical analysis of the benefit–risk ratio of a medicinal product. PBRER submission and content requirements changed with the adoption of the second edition of the Guideline on Good Pharmacovigilance Practice of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU GVP Guideline) in 2022. The aim of the study was to analyse the changes to the EAEU GVP Guideline requirements for the submission procedure and the content of PBRERs. The authors analysed the main changes concerning the procedure for submitting PBRERs on multi-source and well-established medicinal products, herbal and homoeopathic medicines. The authors evaluated the updated requirements for the content of PBRER sections. The analysis identified no significant changes in the aim and concept of PBRERs. The results of the analysis described in this article will help marketing authorisation holders improve the quality of PBRERs and ensure compliance with the new requirements of the EAEU GVP Guideline.

Changes to the EAEU Guideline on Good Pharmacovigilance Practices

By Decision No. 81 of 19.06.2022, the Council of the Eurasian Economic Commission amended the Guideline on Good Pharmacovigilance Practices of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU GVP Guideline), the core regulatory document on pharmacovigilance requirements for the EAEU Member States. The amendment involved all critical pharmacovigilance processes, and its consequences are yet to be assessed.The aim of the study was to analyse the changes to the EAEU GVP Guideline effective since 06.12.2022. The author summarised information on the changes made to the EAEU GVP Guideline by Decision No. 81 of the Council of the Eurasian Economic Commission of 19.06.2022 “On Amendments to the Rules of Good Pharmacovigilance Practice of the Eurasian Economic Union”. He described the differences between the old and the new versions of the EAEU GVP Guideline. Having critically reviewed the updated regulatory document, the author commented on its positive and negative aspects. The review created a starting point for further analysis of the changes to the EAEU GVP Guideline. At the time of writing, there were no other published works assessing the significance of most of the changes for the pharmaceutical industry and designated pharmacovigilance organisations in the EAEU Member States. The author assessed their significance through the prism of the recent years’ events in Russia and the world, including the COVID-19 pandemic. In connection with the amended guideline coming into force in 2022, the author suggested a transitional standstill period for both the pharmaceutical industry and designated pharmacovigilance organisations. He offered further improvements for the guideline. The article may be of practical interest to pharmacovigilance specialists, heads of pharmaceutical organisations, and employees of regulatory authorities.

Recommendations on Informational Monitoring of the Safety and Efficacy of Medicinal Products in the Russian Federation as Part of Pharmacovigilance

Monitoring of information on the safety and efficacy of medicinal products that involves searching for data on benefits and risks of the post-approval use of medicinal products is one of the most important pharmacovigilance processes. The aim of the study was to summarise instruments and recommendations for effective monitoring of information on the safety and efficacy of medicinal products. The article presents the results of the analysis of the regulatory framework and modern tools for scientific literature and Internet information monitoring as part of routine pharmacovigilance. The main resources recommended for information monitoring are open-source scientific and medical bibliographic databases; scientific journals; websites of regulatory authorities and international organisations that monitor the efficacy and safety of medicines; social networks; and online patient communities. Drawing upon current regulatory documents and international good pharmacovigilance practices, the article presents recommendations on the number of resources needed for conducting qualitative monitoring and on the formulation and revision of a search strategy. It describes modern technological solutions in the field of information monitoring, substantiating the suitability of new achievements in such areas as Data Science and natural language processing (NLP) for marketing authorisation holders to collect and analyse data on the safety and efficacy of medicinal products. Regular updates of the search strategy and information channels, the use of software products for the automatic collection and analysis of data from various sources, and the creation of a continuous training system for pharmacovigilance specialists will allow for high-quality monitoring of information on the safety and efficacy of medicines.

HSD24 Barriers and Facilitators of Reporting Adverse Drug Reaction Among Hospital Pharmacists in Nigeria and USA

Good pharmacovigilance practice requires complete and consistent reporting of adverse drug reaction (ADR). Although pharmacovigilance has gained popularity over the years, ADR under-reporting remains a huge concern across countries globally. Improving ADR reporting requires understanding of influences on reporting practice. This study aims to assess differences in the barriers and facilitators of ADR reporting among hospital pharmacists in Nigeria and USA.

Risk Management Plans: reassessment of safety concerns based on Good Pharmacovigilance Practices Module V (Revision 2)—a company experience

IntroductionIn the European Union (EU), a Risk Management Plan (RMP) is submitted as part of the dossier for initial marketing authorization of a medicinal product or with an application involving a significant change to an existing marketing authorization. A comprehensive revision of the EU Guideline on Good Pharmacovigilance Practices (GVP) Module V—Risk Management Systems (Revision [Rev] 2), adopted in March 2017, provides a framework for developing more focused, actionable, and risk-proportionate RMPs. This paper describes the Janssen experience with the interpretation and application of GVP Module V (Rev 2) regarding the evaluation of safety concerns in an RMP.MethodsJanssen convened a cross-functional working group to promote consistent interpretation of the GVP Module V (Rev 2) guidance across therapeutic areas. The group created 3 algorithms to support implementation of the guidance related to removal or reclassification of safety concerns by product-specific RMP teams.ResultsFollowing implementation of the GVP Module V (Rev 2) guidance, the algorithm-driven process led to a substantial decrease in the number of safety concerns for most products. With few exceptions, EU health authorities agreed with the proposed safety concern removals or reclassifications, resulting in RMPs that were focused on only those safety concerns that required further characterization or specific risk minimization.ConclusionsThe algorithm-driven process allows for consistent interpretation and application of the GVP Module V (Rev 2) guidance, which enables product teams to develop an actionable RMP using a thoughtful, evaluative, science-based approach that considers all available evidence.