Improving Drug Safety : A Joint Responsibility

The subject of drug risks and benefits has moved from doctors' offices and pharmaceutical company research laboratories to the front pages of daily newspapers and international conferences.

There is a growing body of knowledge about drug risk/benefit appraisal, pharmacoepidemiology, patient behaviour and corporate and regulatory trends.

This book documents the discussions and papers which arose from an international dialogue conference in Wolfsberg, Switzerland, which addressed many issues for those who care about the evaluation of drug therapy, the ethics behind it, the expectations of the patient, and the role of traditional and non-traditional drug safety communications.

The ideas expressed here come from different parts of the world but relate to common drug safety problems, observations and scientific assessments.

They are designed to provide insights into innovative approaches, changes and desired actions.

Future directions are described by a series of papers which were set out at the conclusion of the conference. These show how the leaders from various countries and fields of work view specific drug safety issues and how they believe responsibility for improving the situation should be shared.