Keen to motivate key stakeholders playing important role in enhancing and strengthening the Pharmacovigilence Programme of India (PvPI), the Indian Pharmacopeia Commission for the first time recognised best ADRs monitoring centres (AMCs) across the country. These AMCS were selected by taking into account several indicators such as their role in identifying new safety alerts, significant contributions they made to PvPI, initiatives taken by them for the effective implementation of expansion of PvPI etc.

Based on these parameters, IPC which acts as the national coordinating centre (NCC) for the PvPI, recently recognised four ADR centres namely, NSCB Medical College, Jabalpur; the UP Rural Institute of Medical Sciences, Etawah; Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Science (IGIMS), Patna, Bihar and Kilpauk Medical College, Chennai for the same.  

Dr V Kalaiselvan, principal scientific officer from IPC informed that NSCB Medical College, Jabalpur was recognised for their efforts in developing the revolutionary mobile application for adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting. It was developed and specifically designed, to facilitate the needs of the IPC, so as to ensure hassle free ADR reporting for the stakeholders.

Since its launch the mobile application has been able to provide a platform for the private healthcare professionals to report ADRs to safeguard and enhance public health by ensuring the safety, efficacy and quality of drugs. The application has in-built facilities and features for reporting of adverse drug reactions such as customisation of reporter details, auto entry in drug details, WHO algorithm based causality assessment, etc.

The UP Rural Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Etawah, Utter Pradesh was recognised for their outstanding work in connecting the rural population to the programme successfully. IGIMS, Patna, Bihar for their greater participation in the PvPI by way of including the IPC help-line number in all its prescriptions, while Kilpauk Medical College, Chennai was recognised for finding new safety alerts for the rabbis vaccine under the PvPI programme.

The coordinators of these AMCs were given certificates and award of appreciation during the 69th Independence Day celebrations at IPC Ghaziabad. Appreciating the efforts of these ADR centres, Dr G N Singh, DCGI said that NCC will provide all support for the AMCs for effective functioning.

Incidentally, this is the first time that IPC has recognised ADR monitoring centres for the same, while they already have in place award for the best technical associate(s) in various AMCs, since last year.