The State Expert Center of the Ukrainian Ministry of Health in collaboration with SIAPS held a meeting on strategic planning for strengthening the capacity of the pharmacovigilance system on December 12, 2012 in Kyiv.
An effective pharmacovigilance system consists of proper ways of detecting, assessing, understanding and preventing adverse effects of medicines and medical products. This is the second national stakeholder meeting on pharmacovigilance and safety of medical products. The previous meeting was held in August 2012 by SIAPS’ predecessor, the USAID-funded Ukraine Strengthening Pharmaceutical Systems Associate Award Program. During the August meeting, the results of a pharmacovigilance assessment of the Ukrainian system were disseminated and recommendations for improvements were provided.
The topics of discussion at the second meeting centered on:
- Priority recommendations for strengthening pharmacovigilance systems in Ukraine based on assessment recommendations and feedback from the stakeholders.
- The importance of pharmacovigilance in HIV and AIDS and TB treatment programs.
- International experience in active surveillance in pharmacovigilance.
- Key features of electronic active pharmacovigilance information systems and experience with the SIAPS Data Collection and Analysis Tool (DCAT).
- Pharmacovigilance audit: international experience and considerations for implementation in Ukraine.
Participants at the meeting included representatives from the Ukrainian Ministry of Health, USAID, WHO, the pharmaceutical industry, and other national stakeholders and development assistance partners. The meeting resulted in clarification of potential contributions and approval of next steps in the strategy for strengthening pharmacovigilance systems capacity in Ukraine.
