WHO international drug surveillance programme

Abstract

The WHO International Drug Monitoring Programme, which started about 40 years ago, aims in timely detection of rare but serious adverse drug reactions (ADRs) not revealed during the clinical trials. As more new drugs came into market, the Programme has expanded further since there is an increased need of drug safety surveillance, termed pharmacovigilance.¹ By the end of period, Uppsala Monitoring Center (UMC, previously WHO Collaborating Center for International Drug Monitoring) maintains nearly 3.87 million case reports in its international database.² Besides maintaining these case reports, various other activities are also undertaken by UMC to meet the basic objective of coordinating the worldwide drug safety efforts. The international center established under WHO serves to maintain the international database and serve the national centers that are members of WHO Programme.