The Food and Drug Department recently hosted a sensitization workshop for pharmacists and dispensers on pharmacovigilance as steps are being put in place to implement it in the local health care system.

According to a Government Information Agency (GINA) press release Marilyn Collins, Director of the Food and Drug Department said sensitization is a critical first step in instituting pharmacovigilance to any health care system.

“Pharmacovigilance is a system of management for the safety of pharmaceuticals which pays specific attention to the detection and reporting of the effects of adverse drug reactions,” GINA said.

Collins said the agency has noted the flaws in the current system which does not adequately safeguard the distribution and use of pharmaceuticals and it is in this context that the workshop was held for pharmacists and pharmaceutical dispensers.

Supply Chain Management Systems (SCMS) collaborates with the Department and provides technical support on drug selection, procurement, housing, distribution and use, the release said. SCMS Senior Technical Advisor Levan De Santos believes now is the time to introduce pharmacovigilance in Guyana.

He noted that SCMS is no stranger to pharmacovigilance and urged the participants to work hard to bring the system to fruition.

In his address at the workshop Health Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy called for the speedy implementation of pharmacovigilance in the wake of the recall of Vioxx and several other drugs.