Muscat: The 20th annual meeting of the International Society of Pharmacovigilance (ISOP) began on Monday under the auspices of Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed al Saeedi, Minister of Health.
The three-day event is hosted by the Ministry of Health, Directorate General of Pharmaceutical Affairs and Drug Control. Dr Mohammed al Rubaie, Director-General of Pharmaceutical Affairs and Drug Control, affirmed that this meeting is a platform for discussing current issues and concerns related to pharmacovigilance raised particularly amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
The pandemic has compelled the national regulatory authorities and the National Immunisation Programme to implement vigilance plans for vaccines in order to monitor the safety and effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccines.
Al Rubaie highlighted the significance of pharmacovigilance being an essential part of the medical care system.
He pointed out that the ministry seeks to adopt the best practices related to pharmacovigilance in order to ensure the safety and security of traded medicines in the Sultanate of Oman.
He added that the success of pharmacovigilance depends on the optimal use of information and communication technology to process and analyse data, immediate interventions, and corrective measures that are supported by a high-standard audit process.
Meanwhile, Dr Mira Harrison, President of ISOP, said that the ISOP provides an independent international forum for scientific discussion and debate in the field of pharmacovigilance and creates opportunities for collegial relationships and networks.
The event sees 300 participants from all over the world and on-site event brings together approximately 100 participants representing pharmacovigilance regulatory authorities and pharmaceutical companies, in addition to international organisations and bodies such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
The event aims to identify updates of monitoring and analysing adverse effects of drugs and finding necessary solutions to avoid or reduce their severity.
The agenda of the meeting includes a spectrum of scientific sessions that address a number of topics including global post marketing safety surveillance of Covid-19 vaccines-planning and implementation, coordinating key stakeholders of national pharmacovigilance and harmonising safety surveillance across different groups of health products, in addition to integrating safety data from different sources.
Moreover, sessions will review global updates regarding risks and benefits of medicines in pregnancy, incorporating new patient safety challenges into pharmacovigilance, trends in the development of global regulatory frameworks for pharmacovigilance, and promoting patient safety through pharmacovigilance infographics and other visuals.
Selecting the Sultanate of Oman to host this global event reflects the prominent position of the country in the field of health and pharmacy services, particularly the regulatory role the Ministry of Health plays in ensuring effectiveness, safety and security of medicines. — ONA
