STUDY OF ADMINISTRATION ON PHARMACUTICAL

An Internship Report Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the degree of

MASTER OF COMPUTER APPLICATIONS

Submitted by SUGANYA.T REG NO : 20118129

Under the Supervision of

Dr. JOTHI VENKATESVARAN, M.Sc., M.Phil., PhD Head of the Department

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

PRESIDENCY COLLGE (AUTONOMOUS) (Nationally reaccredited at the A+ Level by NAAC) CHENNAI-600 005

With deep sense of gratitude I acknowledged the encouragement and guidance received from my Project Guide Mr.Dr. JOTHI

VENKATESVARAN, M.Sc., M.Phil., PhD, Head of the Department of Computer Science, Presidency College (Autonomous), Chennai who was very generous in giving me this opportunity to work under in his valuable guidance. He has been a constant guiding force and source of illumination for me. It entirely goes to his credit that this project has attained its final shape. I would like to thank his for his valuable advice and guidance.

Further I would thank all the staff members of computer science department who have been very courteous in providing all other information about academic subjects.

SUGANYA.T

STUDY OF ADMINISTRATION ON PHARMACEUTICAL

ABSTRACT "The Indian pharmaceutical industry is a success story providing employment for millions and ensuring that essential drugs at affordable prices are available to the vast population of this sub-continent".

ABOUT COMPANY Medinews Pharma India limited is one of the growing company in pharmaceutical Industry. At present we are growing well in Tamilnadu.

Medinews Pharma India limited is a public limited company registered at Register of companies (ROC) with 12 Directors out of 11 Doctor Directors. Medinews Pharma had backbone of 57 leading Doctors in various part of Tamil Nadu as Share Holders. Medinews Pharma India Limited is a kind of Pharmaceutical marketing company like the most of the companies doing in Indian sub continent Medinews Pharma India Limited market its own pharmaceutical products in the market Medinews Pharma have strong enough Marketing team to fight in the market

PRODUCT RANGE Medinews Pharma have both ranges of Generic products

WHO SAYS The national health and drug regulatory authorities should ensure that all pharmaceutical products subject to their control are in conformity with acceptable standards of safety, efficacy and quality, and that all premises and practices employed in the manufacture, storage and distribution of these products comply with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards so as to ensure the continued conformity of the products with these requirements until such time as they are delivered to the end user. All pharmaceutical products, including multisource products, should be used in a country only after approval by the local authority. Regulatory authorities should require the documentation of a multisource (Generic) pharmaceutical product to meet (i) GMP, (ii) quality control specifications, and (iii) pharmaceutical product inter changeability. Multisource pharmaceutical products need to conform to the same appropriate standards of quality, efficacy and safety required of the originator's (comparator) product. A generic product is a multisource pharmaceutical product which is intended to be interchangeable with the comparator product. It is usually manufactured without a licence from the innovator company and marketed after the expiry of patent or other exclusivity rights.

Speciality products Every specialty pharmaceutical product should have its own go -to-market strategy. The variety of services, prices, contracting, and reimbursement is infinite. Manufacturers are the channel captain, but payers can influence them by designating their own preferences. Because here, one of the major pharmaceutical player like India, people have lot of choices to choose. Because, Pharmaceutical companies are in hot pursuit of specialty products through their own R&D as well as looking to purchase.

For both ranges Medinews have 44 registered brands as its own Medinews pharma products have scope to cover all the speciality divisions in the pharma industry Medinews pharma products avail in various forms of medications like tablet, capsule, suppositories, suspension, ointment, Dry syrup, cream, syrup, gel, etc.. In India only very few companies are marketing suppositories, Medinews pharma proud to be a part of it.

Product coverage Our products are cover various speciality divisions in pharmaceutical industry. Below are few important divisions, Cardiology Paediatric ENT Dental Gynaecology Diabetology Orthopedic Neurology Opthamologist Surgeon Dermatologist Physician

Process

The procedures and structures of eight functions of the pharmaceutical sector, namely: 1. Registration of medicines 2. Licensing of pharmaceutical business 3. Inspection of establishments 4. Medicine promotion 5. Clinical trials 6. Selection of essential medicines1 7. Procurement of medicines 8. Distribution of medicines

Product line design involves design of various product variants under a product line which aims to satisfy the needs of various market segments. In the development of product lines, it is quite common for companies to adopt sourcing strategy nowadays for reducing product cost and development time, and improving product quality. One major issue of the sourcing is supplier selection. These are the important factors consider, while selecting a product, Product selection Survey Analysis Brand registration Product Manufacturing Market the product as Brand

Choosing a product In Pharmaceutical industry the virginal products are came every day, every minute, so to select a product, we should care much and careful in pricing. Now a day's Indian Government, NPPA (National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority) fixes the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) for many pharmacological molecules. So, in pricing a product should be careful.

The choices are limitless and the task may be overwhelming at first. Not only should there be a demand for our product, but it must be profitable and something we enjoy selling Some companies having their own Research and Development division. That products took more time to reach market due to its procedures of using human.

For other products well consider the following

Marketability Profit Margin Consumable (or) Need Competition and Private Label Quality Diversity

Survey Take product survey with specialist people or by our Marketing Field force Based on the survey reports well proceed further If the reports shows negative impact, product will not go to next level

Analysis Product analysis enable us to understand the requirements before manufacturing Analyse the complete Life cycle of the product Supply chain Marketing statergies

Brand registration & manufacturing Select a Brand name for our product On the Brand name we Manufacture the product The excellence of manufacturing a product is certified by several ways, by commonly industry choose GMP and WHO for good manufacturer. Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) certificates are distributed by the State government of India and WHO certification meant World Health Organization certified unit can export pharmaceutical product all over the world.

Market our brand Proceed to market our brand

COMPANY PRODUCT RANGE

S. Brand Name No 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 ALLERBEST-M BUGPOD 100 DT BUGPOD 200 DT BUGPOD-DRY SYRUP CALCIFORT CEFINU 100 DT

Composition LEVOCETRIZINE 5mg + MONTELUKAST 10mg CEFPODOXIME PROXETIL 100mg CEFPODOXIME PROXETIL 200mg CEFPODOXIME PROXETIL 50 mg CALCIUM CITRATE MALEATE 250mg + VIT D3 100IU CEFIXIME 100mg CEFIXIME 200mg CEFIXIME 50MG CLAVULANATE POTASSIUM 125mg + AMOXYCILLIN TRIHYTRATE 250 mg CLAVULANATE POTASSIUM 125mg + AMOXYCILLIN TRIHYTRATE 500 mg AMOXYCILLIN 200MG + CLAVULANATE POTASSIUM 28.5 MG DMR 10mg PHENYEPHRINE 5mg CPM 2mg MENTHOL 1mg DEFLAZACORT 6mg CLOPIDOGREL 75mg ATROVASTATIN 10mg FERROUS ASCOR BATE 100mg + FOLIC ACID 1.5mg + ZINC 22.5mg RABEPRAZOLE 20 + DOMPERIDONE 30 SR PANTOPRAZOLE 40mg METHYLCOBALAMIN 500mcg + ALPHA LIPOIC ACID 100mg+FOLIC ACID 1.5mg + VITAMIN B6 10mg DICLOFENAC 1% w/w + METHYLSALICYLATE 10% w/w LINSEEDOIL 3% MENTHOL

Pack 10s 10s 10s 18g/30ml 10s 10s 10s 15g/30ml 6's 6's 3.3g/30ml 60ml 6s 10s 10s 10s 10s 10s 10s

CEFINU 200 DT CEFINU DRY 8 SYRUP CLAVBID 9 A375 CLAVBID 10 A625 CLAVBID-A 11 DRY SYRUP 12 DEXCOF 13 DEZOART 14 D-GREL 15 EARLYSTAT FOLFERRITIN 16 Z 17 GERD 20 18 GI-40 19 MECORICH MEDIFENAC 20 GEL

30gm

21

MEDIFENAC SUPPOS.

DICLOFENAC SODIUM I.P 100mg

5's

22 MEDIFENAC-AP MEDIFORMIN SR 1 gm MEDIFORMIN 24 SR 500 23 25 MEDIFORMIN G1 26 MEDIFORMIN G2 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 MEDIMETRO 25mg XL MEDIMETRO 50mg XL MEDIPM-125 MEDIPM170 SUPPOS. MEDIPM-250 PM-500 MEDIPM-650 MEDIPM80 SUPPOS. MEDITEL-40

ACECLOFENAC 100mg + PARACETAMOL 325 mg METFORMIN 1000mg SR METFORMIN 500mg SR METFORMIN 500mg + GLIMEPIRIDE 1mg METFORMIN 500mg + GLIMEPIRIDE 2mg METOPROLOL 25mg METAPROLOL 50mg PARACETAMOL 125mg PARACETAMOL I.P 170 mg PARACETAMOL 250mg PARACETAMOL 500mg PARACETAMOL 650mg PARACETAMOL I.P 80 mg TELMISARTAN 40mg TELMISARTAN 40mg + HYDROCHLOROTHIAZIDE 12.5mg OFLOXACIN 200mg + ORNIDAZOLE 500mg METHYLCOBALAMIN 750mg + PREGABALIN 75mg + FOLIC ACID 0.75mg + VITAMIN B12 15mg TERBUTALINE SULPHATE 1.25mg AMBROXOL HCL 15mg GUAIPHENESIN 50mg MENTHOL 0.5mg (SORBITOL BASE) BETAHISTINE 16mg

10s 10s 10s 10s 10s 10s 10s 60ml 5's 60ml 10s 10s 5's 10s 10's 10s 10s

36 MEDITEL-40H 37 MEDORNI O 38 MEGANU

100ml

39 MUCUS-A 40 M-VERT 16

10s

41 M-VERT 8 42 PEPGEL

43 POWIN-Z

44 TM PLUS

BETAHISTINE 8mg DRIED ALU HYDROXIDE 250mg MAGNESIUM HYDROXIDE 250mg ACTIVATED DIMEEHICONE 50mg POVIDONE-IODINE I.P 5%w/w +ALOES I.P 1.5% w/w+ ETRONIOAZOLE I.P 1% w/w + WATER SOLUBLE OINMENT BASE QS TRAMADOL 37.5mg + PARACETAMOL 325mg

10s 170ml

15mg

10s

Company structure

DIRECTORS COO

ADMINISTRATION

PRODUCTION

MARKETING

FINANCIAL

PRO

MARKETING
COO

MARKETING MANAGER

REGIONAL MANAGER

REGIONAL MANAGER

AREA MANAGER

AREA MANAGER

AREA MANAGER

FIELD SALES OFFICER

FIELD SALES OFFICER

Administration & Finance

Office Admin. Manager COO Finance Manger PRO HR Finance Team

Essential medicines in India by WHO 2013 Median availability of selected generic medicinesf (%) 22.1 76.8 Infrastructures and technologies Hospital Hospital beds Psychiatric Beds Computed Radiotherapy tomography Units units per million population 2010 ... 2010 0.4 Median consumer price ratio of selected generic medicinesg 1.9

per 100000 population 2010 ...

per 10000 population 20052012 9 2005-2012 0.2

WHY I TOOK THIS INDUSTRY STUDY

Medicines: rational use of medicines Key facts

More than 50% of all medicines are prescribed, dispensed or sold inappropriately, and half of all patients fail to take medicines correctly. The overuse, underuse or misuse of medicines harms people and wastes resources. More than 50% of all countries do not implement basic policies to promote rational use of medicines. In developing countries, less than 40% of patients in the public sector and 30% in the private sector are treated according to clinical guidelines. A combination of health-care provider education and supervision, consumer education, and an adequate medicines supply is effective in improving the use of medicines, while any of these interventions alone has limited impact. Rational use of medicines refers to the correct, proper and appropriate use of medicines. Rational use requires that patients receive the appropriate medicine, in the proper dose, for an adequate period of time, and at the lowest cost to them and their community. Incorrect use of medicines WHO estimates that more than half of all medicines are prescribed, dispensed or sold inappropriately, and that half of all patients fail to take them correctly. This incorrect use may take the form of overuse, underuse and misuse of prescription or non-prescription medicines.

Common problems include: Poly pharmacy (use of too many medicines); overuse of antibiotics and injections; failure to prescribe in accordance with clinical guidelines; Inappropriate self-medication.

In developing countries, the proportion of patients treated according to clinical guidelines for common diseases in primary care is less than 40% in the public sector and 30% in the private sector. For example:

less than 60% of children with acute diarrhoea receive necessary oral rehydration therapy yet more than 40% receive unnecessary antibiotics; only 50% of people with malaria receive the recommended first-line antimalarial; only 5070% of people with pneumonia are treated with appropriate antibiotics, yet up to 60% of people with viral upper respiratory tract infection receive antibiotics inappropriately.

What are the consequences of incorrect use of medicines? Incorrect use of medicines occurs in all countries, causing harm to people and wasting resources. Consequences include: Antimicrobial resistance. Overuse of antibiotics increases antimicrobial resistance and the number of medicines that are no longer effective against infectious disease. Many surgical procedures and cancer therapies are not possible without antibiotics to fight infection. Resistance prolongs illnesses and hospital stays, and can even cause death, leading to costs of US$ 45 billion per year in the United States of America1 and 9 billion per year in Europe2. Adverse drug reactions and medication errors. Harmful reactions to medicines caused by wrong use, or allergic reactions to medicines can lead to increased illness, suffering and death. Adverse drug reactions have been estimated to cost millions of dollars each year3,4. Lost resources. Between 1040% of national health budgets are spent on medicines. Out-of-pocket purchases of medicines can cause severe financial hardship to individuals and their families. If medicines are not prescribed and used properly, billions of dollars of public and personal funds are wasted. Eroded patient confidence.

Exacerbated by the overuse of limited medicines, drugs may be often out of stock or at unaffordable prices and as result erode patient confidence. Poor or negative health outcomes due to inappropriate use of medicines may also reduce confidence.

What factors contribute to incorrect use of medicines? Lack of skills and knowledge. Diagnostic uncertainty, lack of prescriber knowledge of optimal diagnostic approaches, lack of independent information such as clinical guidelines, lack of opportunity for patient follow-up, or fear of possible litigation, lead to improper prescription and dispensing of medicines. Inappropriate unethical promotion of medicines by pharmaceutical companies. Most prescribers get medicine information from pharmaceutical companies rather than independent sources such as clinical guidelines. This can often lead to overuse. Some countries allow direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription medicines, which may lead to patients pressuring doctors for unnecessary medicines. Profits from selling medicines. In many countries, drug retailers prescribe and sell medicines over-the-counter. The more they sell the more income they generate, leading to overuse of medicines, particularly the more expensive medicines. Unrestricted availability of medicines. In many countries, prescription medicines such as antibiotics, are freely available over-the-counter. This leads to overuse, inappropriate self-medication and non-adherence to dosing regimes.

Overworked health personnel.

Many prescribers have too little time with each patient, which can result in poor diagnosis and treatment. In such circumstances prescribers rely on prescribing habit as they do not have the time to update their knowledge of medicines. Unaffordable medicines. Where medicines are unaffordable, people may not purchase a full course of treatment or may not purchase the medicines at all. Instead they may seek alternatives, such as medicines of non-assured quality from the Internet or other sources, or medicines prescribed to family or friends. Lack of coordinated national pharmaceutical policy. Less than half of all countries implement the basic policies recommended by WHO to ensure the appropriate use of medicines. These include appropriate measures and infrastructure for monitoring and regulation of medicines use, and training and supervision for prescribing health workers. What can be done to improve rational use of medicines? WHO advises countries to implement national programmes to promote rational use of medicines through policies, structures, information and education. These include: a national body to coordinate policies on medicine use and monitor their impact; evidence-based clinical guidelines for training, supervision and supporting decision-making about medicines; lists of essential medicines used for medicine procurement and insurance reimbursement; drug (medicines) and therapeutics committees in districts and hospitals to monitor and implement interventions to improve the use of medicines; problem-based training in pharmacotherapy and prescribing in undergraduate curricula; continuing medical education as a requirement of licensure;

 publicly available independent and unbiased information about medicines for health personnel and consumers; public education about medicines; elimination of financial incentives that lead to improper prescribing, such as prescribers selling medicines for profit to supplement their income; regulations to ensure that promotional activities meet ethical criteria; and adequate funding to ensure availability of medicines and health personnel.

The most effective approach to improving medicines use in primary care in developing countries is a combination of education and supervision of health personnel, consumer education, and ensuring an adequate supply of appropriate medicines. Any of these alone have limited impact.

WHO response To improve rational medicine use, WHO: monitors global medicines use and pharmaceutical policy; provides policy guidance and support to countries to monitor medicines use and to develop, implement and evaluate national strategies to promote rational use of medicines; develops and delivers training programmes to national health professionals on how to monitor and improve medicines use at all levels of the health system.

Medicines: medicines for children

Key facts Nearly nine million children under five years old die every year, many of them from conditions that could be treated with safe, effective medicines. Children are not small adults, their bodies respond to medicines differently. They need medicines tailored to their age, body weight and physiological condition. Few medicines exist in formulations developed specifically for children. Worldwide many medicines for children are used "off-label", that is their effects on children have not been studied and they are not licensed for use in children. Flexible solid oral dosage forms of medicines are ideal for children.

The ideal children's medicine is one that suits the age, physiological condition and body weight of the child taking them and is available in a flexible solid oral dosage form that can be taken whole, dissolved in a variety of liquids, or sprinkled on foods, making it easier for children to take.

Global situation and challenges Nearly nine million children under the age of five die every year, many of them from conditions that could be treated with safe, effective medicines. Access to appropriate medicines for children is essential for achieving the child health goals including Millennium Development Goals (MDG) 4 (Reduce child mortality by two thirds) and MDG 6 (Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other major diseases). Lack of medicines for children is a global problem, which most acutely affects developing countries. Worldwide many medicines for children are used

"off-label", that is their effects on children have not been studied and they are not licensed for use in children. Very few medicines exist in formulations developed specifically for children and those that do often do not reach the children that need them most. For example, nearly three million children under five die each year from diarrhoea and pneumonia. In the case of diarrhoea, reliable treatment exists in the form of oral rehydration salts and zinc. Yet, studies show that this treatment is frequently unavailable in pharmacies and clinics in countries where these diseases are most common. Improved access to this medicine could save millions of lives. When child specific medicines are not available, healthcare workers and parents often use fractions of adult dosage forms or prepare doses of medicines for children by crushing tablets or dissolving portions of capsules in water. This practice is difficult for the parent or care-giver, can be hard for the child to take and can result in inaccurate administration of the medicine with either under or over dosing the child, leading to possible adverse reactions or unsuccessful treatment. Children with chronic conditions, such as HIV/AIDS, may have to take several medicines daily. For them, fixed-dose combination productsseveral medicines in one pillare best. However, very few fixed-dose combinations for children exist. Some regional and national regulatory authorities including the European Medicines Agency and the United States' Food and Drug Administration have undertaken initiatives to improve the availability, safety and efficacy of medicines for children. Ongoing global effort is needed to improve the situation.

Areas where more work is needed Research Many essential medicines do not exist in child-size dosage forms. As well, for many medicines there is not enough information about their efficacy and safety to allow them to be licensed for use in children. In order to address the research needs for children's medicines, strengthening the quality and quantity of paediatric clinical trials research is essential. Clinical trials involving children require careful ethical review and approval.

Access Promoting the need for flexible solid oral dosage forms and fixed-dose combinations for children is required. Pharmaceutical companies interested in manufacturing of children's dosage forms need to be identified and encouraged to produce medicines for priority conditions e.g. fixed dose combinations for malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, as well as antibiotics for neonatal infections. Health care workers and carers of children need to expect 'preferred dosage forms'. A first step in promoting access is to assess the current situation concerning the availability and costs of essential medicines for children. Once an assessment has been made it will be possible to advocate for changes that will benefit children and their families and lead to measurable improvements in health outcomes.

WHO response

Launching the 'Make medicines child size' initiative in December 2007 raised awareness and stimulated action to improve the availability of safe, effective, quality medicines for children including regulatory measures, government policy, procurement agency purchasing decisions, research from academia and private sector, and production from the pharmaceutical industry. Providing the healthcare, procurement and pharmaceutical communities with information on dosage and treatment guidelines through the development of the WHO Model Formulary for Children containing independent prescriber information on over 240 medicines based on the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines for Children, first developed in 2007 and reviewed and updated every two years. Advising countries on issues of quality, safety, efficacy, supply management and promoting access to essential medicines for children in countries. This is done by encouraging the inclusion of medicines for children in national essential medicines lists, treatment guidelines and procurement schemes and working with national drug regulatory authorities to expedite regulatory assessment of essential medicines for children. Creating an online clinical trial registry for clinical trials involving children and developing guidelines for conducting clinical trials in children in resourcelimited settings.

Establishing the Paediatric medicines Regulatory Network (PmRN), a network of regulatory authorities to work on how best to license medicines for children.

Medicines: safety of medicines adverse drug reactions Key facts Unintended, harmful reactions to medicines (known as adverse drug reactions) are among the leading causes of death in many countries. The majority of adverse drug reactions (ADR) are preventable. People in every country of the world are affected by ADRs. In some countries ADR-related costs, such as hospitalization, surgery and lost productivity, exceed the cost of the medications. No medicine is risk free. Vigilant assessment of the risks and benefits of medicines promotes patient safety.

The safety of medicines is an essential part of patient safety. Global drug safety depends on strong national systems that monitor the development and quality of medicines, report their harmful effects, and provide accurate information for their safe use. Harmful, unintended reactions to medicines that occur at doses normally used for treatment are called adverse drug reactions (ADRs). ADRs are among the leading causes of death in many countries. Preventing and detecting adverse effects from medicines is termed pharma covigilance. Vigilant assessment of the risks and benefits of medicines applies throughout the life cycle of a medicine - from the pre-approval stage to use by patients. Global information-sharing on adverse effects strengthens drug safety in countries, and can translate into timely policy decisions that safeguard patient safety when problems emerge. Examples of ADRs include:

Medicines Amidopyrine (for inflammation) Clioquinol (for skin infections) Erythromycin estolate (antibacterial) Oral contraceptives Statins (for controlling cholesterol) Thalidomide (for managing morning sickness) Risks

Reactions white blood cell disorder visual impairment hepatitis (liver disorder) thromboembolism (blood clots) muscle degeneration phocomelia (disfigured infants)

No drug is without risk and all medicines have side effects, some of which can be fatal. People in every country of the world are affected by ADRs. In some countries ADR-related costs, such as hospitalization, surgery and lost productivity, exceed the cost of the medications. At least 60% of ADRs are preventable, and can be due to:

wrong diagnosis of the patients condition; prescription of the wrong drug or wrong dosage of the right drug; an undetected medical, genetic or allergic condition that might cause a patient reaction; self-medication with prescription medicines; not following the instructions for taking the medication; reactions with other drugs (including traditional medicines) and certain foods; use of a sub-standard medication whose composition and ingredients do not meet the correct scientific requirements, and can be ineffective and often dangerous; use of counterfeit medicines with no active ingredients or the wrong ingredients, which can be dangerous or fatal.

Even when the above situations are avoided, all medicines have side effects and some can be damaging. The effects of any treatment with a medicine cannot be predicted with absolute certainty. All medicines have both benefits and the potential for harm. The risk of harm can be minimized by ensuring that prescribed medicines are of good quality, safe, effective and used by the right patient in the right dose at the right time.

Safety measures Pharmaceutical companies, or drug-makers, are required by law in all countries to test their drugs on healthy and patient volunteers before making them widely available. These clinical trials show how well a drug works for a defined disease and what potential harm it can cause. However they provide no information for larger, untested populations with different characteristics from the trial group, such as age, gender, state of health, and ethnic origin. For many medicines, and particularly complex products, safety monitoring does not stop at the manufacturing stage. Medicine safety must be followed by careful patient monitoring and further scientific data collection. This aspect of drug monitoring is called post-marketing surveillance. The effectiveness of national postmarketing surveillance is directly dependent on the active participation of health professionals. Health professionals (physicians, pharmacists, nurses, dentists and others) are in the best position to report suspected ADRs as part of their daily patient care. Health professionals should report ADRs even if they are doubtful about the precise relationship between the given medicine and reaction.

WHO Response WHO promotes global drug safety through its International Drug Monitoring Programme, which began in the 1960s. Through the cooperative effort, Member States and WHO work together to identify possible relationships between the use of a drug and adverse effects. Nearly 100 countries now have national systems in place to report ADRs to the database managed by the WHO Collaborating Centre, the Uppsala Monitoring Centre. When signals of drug safety problems emerge, WHO shares the results with all Member Countries. In addition, WHO:

facilitates regular information exchanges among Member States on the safety and effectiveness of medicines, involving a network of national information officers; promptly informs national health authorities about new information on serious adverse effects of pharmaceutical products; provides guidelines to help countries set up national drug monitoring centres; assists countries as they work to strengthen drug regulatory authorities and reporting systems; trains health professionals on safety monitoring for new and complex medicines (e.g. antiretrovirals to treat HIV); draws together regulatory authorities, police, customs officials and others to combat counterfeit medicines worldwide.

REFERENCES: For more information contact: WHO Media centre