The 26th annual meeting of National Adverse Drug Reaction Monitoring centers, organized as part of the WHO programme for International Drug Monitoring will begin in Delhi from December 8, 2003. Representatives from 50 countries are to participate in the discussions meant to find better ways to 'improve ADR reporting' world over.

Each country is to project its achievements in the field of ADR monitoring. The meeting is to develop a set of recommendations for national centers to improve reporting.

The participants are to give the list of drugs of current interest to their particular region for a consolidated idea about the ADRs happening in different countries.

The meeting aims to seek the possibilities of giving the responsibilities of ADR monitoring to all health professionals. Currently, it is the duty of the clinicians in most countries to report any adverse reaction. The pros and cons of decentralized pharmacovigilance system, role of academic institutions and the need to update the WHO database on ADR information would be topics of serious discussion during the meeting.

The newly launched pharmacovigilance programme of India is to be deliberated at length, it is learnt.

There would be plenary sessions on topics like ICH process and developments in pharmacovigilance, public health and pharmacovigilance, public health and chemical risks and drugs of current interest.

Case studies from three poison centers would also be presented at the conference.