Call for comprehensive data on drug reaction

Chennai: Deploring the lack of data or registry on pregnant women getting affected by drug reaction or senior citizens suffering orthostatic hypertension across the nation, National Scientific Coordinator for Pharmacovigilance Programme of India (PPI), Dr Y.K. Gupta, has called for greater participation of PHCs, district hospitals and other institutions to facilitate comprehensive Indian data on drug reaction.

 

“Pharmacovigilance is not only evaluating drug reaction (side effects) but also re-positioning drugs to suit our health conditions. India needs to develop its own data on drug reaction instead of depending upon the west,” he said while inaugurating a workshop on the subject at Sri Ramachandra University, Porur, on Tuesday.

 

He pointed out to the imminent threat of administering drugs without studying their efficacy or safety. “Popular painkiller Rofecoxib used for arthritis and other painful conditions, was withdrawn due to concerns of heart attack and stroke with their use. Similarly, Phenylpropanolamine was banned as it posed a risk of stroke,” said Dr Gupta, who is also Prof and Head, Pharmacology Department, AIIMS, New Delhi.

 

Patient education of side effects is crucial as adverse drug reactions are causes for ten percent of hospitalisation and one of the top ten reasons for mortality worldwide, said Dr Dushyantha T. Jayaweera, Dean, Research, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, USA.  

 

Indian government has introduced several reforms and quality measures in conduct of clinical trials on humans through the Drugs Controller General of India, said Dr S.P. Thyagarajan, Dean - research, Sri Ramachandra University.