Uganda hosts continental medicine safety conference

Uganda is hosting the continental medicine safety conference, the first of its kind in Africa.

Uganda is hosting the continental medicine safety conference, the first of its kind in Africa. The conference, best known as International Society of Pharmacovigilance (ISOP) happening at Speke Resort Munyonyo, started Monday, and will end Wednesday, according to the National Drug Authority (NDA).

The event is running under the theme “advancing pharmacovigilance practice in Africa: Moving from data collection to data driven decision making.’’ This is the first in-person conference since the Covid-19 pandemic.  

According to David Nahamya, the executive director of NDA, the event is a professional, independent non-profit gathering, open to all people with an interest in the safe and effective use of medicinal products and effects of drugs on users in Africa.

The conference, according to him, brings together regulators, researchers, and representatives from industry and other stakeholders in pharmacovigilance across the African continent.

He says the continental event has brought together over 300 participants from across Africa to discuss issues pertinent to medicine safety.

“Through the regional and country chapters, ISOP supports management of country and regional specific pharmacovigilance challenges,” Nahamya said.

The ISOP Africa chapter was established in 2010 to foster collaboration, knowledge exchange and capacity building among pharmacovigilance professionals.

According to Nahamya, however, medicine safety is still a global challenge and adverse events from medicine use have been reported to be one of the leading causes of sickness and death over years.

Globally, according to him, adverse drug reactions have been reported to be the fourth to sixth leading cause of death. In Uganda, he says, up to 20% of hospital admissions are as a result of adverse drug reactions.

He however noted that NDA, working in collaboration with ISOP Africa chapter, has prioritized strengthening of pharmacovigilance systems to minimize risk and maximize the benefit of the various medicinal products used in Africa.

He says the move will also go a long way in addressing challenges currently being faced such as very low reporting rates with poor quality reports, little pharmacovigilance awareness among healthcare professionals and consumers, which underestimates the magnitude and risk related to safety medicine.

According to Abiazi Rwamwiri, the public relations manager at NDA, this years’ conference stands as a testament to the NDA shared commitment as drugs regulators and players to ensuring drug safety, a discipline he says lies at the heart of public health and patient safety.

“Throughout history, pharmacovigilance has evolved from a reactive process to a proactive science, driven by advancements in technological, regulatory frameworks, and collaborative efforts across borders,” Rwamwiri said.

“As players convene here, we acknowledge the critical role each of us plays in this dynamic field to ensure that we enhance signals to easy detection mechanisms and leverage on real-world evidence for decision making to realise drug safety.”

Expected outcomes

During the three-day event, the congregation plan to establish a roadmap for enhanced pharmacovigilance practices across the continent especially around the use of data to inform medicine safety decisions, according to NDA.

Also, the creation and increase in network opportunities for pharmacovigilance practitioners within and outside the continent, is at the center of the event.

The team also looks forward to strengthening collaboration among pharmacovigilance practitioners within and outside Africa, and also establishing a pharmacovigilance coordination framework across the African continent.

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