To draw attention to the risks of adverse drug reactions, the National Adverse Drug Event Awareness Day was held in the USA on 24 March.
This day was established in 2021 by the American Society of Pharmacovigilance (A.S.P.). The non-profit organisation is committed to reducing the consequences of adverse drug events (A.D.E.), which include allergic reactions, medication errors, side effects and overdoses.
According to the American Society of Pharmacovigilance, adverse drug events are the fourth leading cause of death in the USA. They cause 3.5 million visits to the doctor and 2.2 million hospital admissions every year. The resulting costs amount to 136 billion dollars annually and represent a significant burden on the healthcare system.
PGXperts makes a contribution to increasing drug therapy safety (AMTS) by providing doctors and healthcare professionals with information that they can use to review and customise their patients’ drug therapy.
A similar day would also be desirable in Germany to draw attention to the risks of adverse drug reactions. In this way, we could raise awareness of the complexity of drug therapy and promote opportunities to improve drug safety for all.
For more information on this topic, visit the American Society of Pharmacovigilance website at https://www.stopadr.org/