Pharmacovigilance Programme of India: System put in place to Report Adverse Drug Reactions

  Dear Editor, Adverse drug reaction (ADRs) is response to a drug which is noxious and unintended and which occurs at doses normally used in human for the prophylaxis, diagnosis or treatment of disease, or for the modification of physiological function. ADRs are one of the major public health issues and found to cause of morbidity and mortality. The impact of ADRs in India is significant and leads to the enormous burden to the public. Therefore, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India launched a nationwide Pharmacovigilance Programme of India (PvPI) in the year 2010 to monitor the safety of drugs. Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) under the MoHFW functions as National Coordination Centre (NCC) for PvPI. To monitor and report ADRs to NCC, teaching hospitals and corporate hospitals have been identified as ADRs Monitoring Centres (AMCs).