Effective treatment matters: Revitalizing pharmacovigilance

Abstract

The thalidomide disaster remains a constant reminder that medical treatments can be hazardous. Since then, however, cross-border cooperation has fostered global awareness and galvanized actions. The result is better tools for detecting adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and assessing risk-benefit of medical treatments that guide therapeutic decisions. Unfortunately, despite these advances and widespread drug safety monitoring activities, treatment qualities of many conditions of public health importance remain problematic.