The Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) is closely working with healthcare providers and local government bodies at the grass root level to generate better awareness on Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR) and ADR helpline number for timely reporting of the same from even the remotest part of the country.  The main aim behind this move is to ensure that all the villages even at the micro level is linked to the ADR centres for better and effective reporting of the events.

It is understood that at present there is a considerable gap in the system creating a lot of confusion among the public, due to lack of awareness on the seriousness of ADR. There is an urgent need to sensitise the patients especially from the rural areas on the steps taken by the government to address the issue of drug reaction. Experts feel that this needs to be addressed first to ensure better success of the Pharmacovigilance Programme of India (PvPI) which mainly depends on effective ADR reporting as lack of awareness of the same can become an issue if left without proper intervention.

Dr V Kalaiselvan, senior scientific officer from the IPC informed that understanding the importance of linking the rural areas to the ADR centres, the Commission has already taken pro-active measures by tying up with all the local healthcare facilities for dissemination of information on the ADR reporting and about the available toll free helpline number.

“All steps are being taken by us to generate maximum attention through widespread awareness campaign across the country right through the remotest area on this issue. We are not only publishing advertisements and notices in the daily newspapers in different regional languages but are also sensitising by way of distribution of pamphlets and information kits to patients at different healthcare centres. Apart from that, we are also training the doctors and healthcare workers to spread around the word across as many people as possible as the success of this programme depends on the level of knowledge that the patients have on ADRs,” Dr Kalaiselvan stressed.

Officials strongly believe that by bringing rural areas completely under the ambit of ADR reporting can play a major role in further strengthening the PvPI programme of the country. It is understood that since the launch of the ADR helpline number, there have been tremendous feedback on the ADRs from urban areas, whereas lacklustre response from rural areas, which prompted them to take this measure.

Recently, IPC which acts as the National Coordination Centre (NCC) for PvPI upgraded its existing helpline facility for providing assistance in timely reporting of ADRs. This they attained by introducing the SMS acknowledgement service to help the adverse drug reactions (ADRs) reporters across the country through a toll free helpline number 1800 180 3024. Through this initiative, the ADR reporters will be given requisite assistance in reporting ADRs whenever needed, which will further guide them in taking immediate corrective measure to address the problem as per the gravity of the issue or ADR.