Pharmacovigilance of over-the-counter products based in community pharmacy: methodological issues from pilot work conducted in Hampshire and Grampian, UK

Explore Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) reporting by clinical and community pharmacists in Duhok, Kurdistan region- Iraq: hampered and perspective

Background: Pharmacovigilance systems are crucial for monitoring, ensuring the safe use of medications, and reducing the frequency of adverse drug reactions (ADRs). They also raise awareness of the importance of reporting ADRs to healthcare systems.

Aim: Explore the hampered and perspective held by Duhok pharmacists, particularly those employed in hospitals and private pharmacy sectors, about pharmacovigilance and ADR reporting.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out from 20 February to 20 March 2019 using a self-administered questionnaire that had been previously created and modified. The data were examined using SPSS version 20, a statistical application for social software.

Results: The majority of respondents, pharmacists, stated that it is their responsibility to report adverse drug reactions (ADRs), and that drug safety monitoring is crucial (91%). More than 85% of pharmacists agreed that ADRs that result in life-threatening situations and those that result in congenital abnormalities should be reported immediately. The majority of them, however, were unaware of the Iraqi pharmacovigilance system, had never reported any adverse drug reactions, were unable to get reporting forms, and lacked the clinical knowledge required to recognize ADRs.

Conclusion: Underreporting was the main issue identified by the study because the majority of respondents were unable to define the term “pharmacovigilance” correctly, but they were aware of ADRs and displayed a positive attitude toward ADR reporting despite the fact that the majority of them had never reported any ADRs. To raise pharmacists’ knowledge and awareness of the ADR reporting procedure, however, required steps should be made to establish interventional programs.

The management of upper gastrointestinal symptoms: A study on community pharmacies in Italy

Upper gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are usual complaints among patients presenting to Italian community pharmacies. However, information on treatment history of those patients is often lacking. This descriptive, cross-sectional study aims at exploring the medication history of individuals with upper GI tract symptoms visiting one of the 20 enrolled community pharmacies, over a period of 7 months, based on the administration of a questionnaire. Of 1,020 interviewees, 62.1% had asked for a medical consultation. The most frequent symptom was epigastric burning (31.8%), followed by acid regurgitation (14.6%) and post-prandial fullness (12.0%). Of the 1,609 therapies, proton pump inhibitors constituted the most represented therapeutic class (35.6%) followed by antacids (17.5%) and alginate-based products (17.2%). In treating symptoms, 38.1% of the patients do not seek medical advice, while 42.0% rely on non-prescription therapies. As findings suggest, support to patients with GI disorders in community pharmacies can be enhanced for a safer self-medication.

Evaluation of a Web-Based, 'Purchase Event' Intensive Monitoring Method for Pharmacovigilance of Natural Health Products: Lessons and Insights from Development Work in New Zealand

INTRODUCTION

Intensive monitoring methods are used in pharmacovigilance for prescription medicines but have not yet been implemented for natural health products (NHPs).

OBJECTIVES

Our objective was to assess feasibility issues with a new 'purchase event' intensive monitoring method for pharmacovigilance of NHPs, including pharmacy and NHP purchaser recruitment rates, collection of NHP purchaser key patient identifier information for data linkage and quality and completeness of data.

METHODS

For the Ginkgo study, 213 community pharmacies in the Auckland (Aotearoa New Zealand) District Health Board area were invited to participate. Staff in participating pharmacies (n = 3 [1.4%]) recorded ginkgo product sales and gave purchasers a study invitation card (October 2015-January 2016). Ginkgo purchaser participants were emailed links to web-based baseline and follow-up questionnaires about adverse events occurring during/after taking ginkgo. Participating pharmacists and consumers were invited to provide qualitative feedback about the study. For the NHP-Lite study, all NHPs were included for monitoring. Community pharmacies in the Green Cross Health network were invited to participate. Participating pharmacy staff gave all NHP purchasers a study invitation card over a 2-week period (May 2016). NHP purchaser participants were emailed links to web-based baseline, follow-up and feedback questionnaires.

RESULTS

Few community pharmacists (Ginkgo study, n = 3; NHP-Lite study, n = 18) and NHP purchasers (Ginkgo study, n = 0; NHP-Lite study, n = 4) participated. Pharmacists (Ginkgo study, 3/3; NHP-Lite study, 11/18) described several reasons for participating and suggested ways to increase consumer recruitment, including simplifying study procedures.

CONCLUSIONS

These web-based, purchase event, intensive monitoring studies, with cohorts built through NHP purchases in pharmacies, identified substantial issues with recruiting pharmacists/pharmacies and NHP purchasers that, at present, render such studies unfeasible. Future studies need to consider other methods of recruiting NHP purchasers and develop a simple method for recording NHP purchases.

Over-the-Counter Medicines and Diabetes Care

OBJECTIVES

People with diabetes turn to over-the-counter (OTC) medicines for many ailments. The focus of this brief review is the impact common OTC medicines might have on this group of patients.

METHODS

Three types of OTC medicines were selected as most deserving of attention: 3 herbal agents, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and cough/cold products. Existing literature was used to determine precautions that might be in order.

RESULTS

Herbal/natural agents with the potential to impact blood sugar have been identified in various reports. In discussing 3, glucosamine and cinnamon (at doses recommended on commercial products) should have minimal impact on diabetic management, whereas St. John's wort is a concern involving potential drug interactions. For colds, of about 11 active ingredients, only decongestants (primarily oral) need be considered for their possible effects on blood sugar. Finally, NSAIDs (even at OTC doses) must be used with caution, given their cardiovascular, renal and gastrointestinal risks. Care guidelines do encourage patients to take ownership of their condition. Yet the ability to self-medicate safely is not a certainty. In spite of easy access and a reasonable level of safety, OTC medicines still can negatively impact a user. NSAIDs available without prescription continue to cause concern.

CONCLUSIONS

Before the use of any medicine, a person must ensure it will be safe. A health-care provider can be asked for assistance, but that option may not always be employed. Package information is there to provide critical information in lieu of that, something the self-medicating patient will, it is hoped, embrace.

Experiences relating to adverse drug reactions in the community: a cross-sectional survey among patients and the general public in Thailand

OBJECTIVE

To determine the frequency and characteristics of adverse drug reactions (ADRs), experiences of receiving and desire for information about medicines, and attitudes toward ADR knowledge and reporting among the community-dwelling Thai population.

METHODS

A cross-sectional self-administered survey conducted during October 2013 to December 2014 by convenience sampling. The study was conducted in three settings in the second-largest city, North-eastern Thailand: primary care units, community pharmacies and public areas.

RESULTS

Of 2400 respondents, 414 (17.3%) reported experiencing an ADR; two-thirds of which involved mild symptoms (66.7%) and 55.6% occurred within the last year. Self-reported ADR knowledge was low (4.1 ± 2.5 on a scale of 0 to 10). Pharmacists and physicians were the most common sources of information about medicines, but only 28.5% had received information about ADRs. Over 40% wanted information about ADRs and drug interactions, with healthcare professionals and information leaflets being desirable sources. The majority of individuals had positive views towards both receiving information and reporting their ADR experiences.

CONCLUSIONS

To enable the Thai public to report their experiences of ADRs more effectively, they require more medicines information. Information leaflets should be more widely available, while healthcare professionals should provide more detailed information of ADRs.

Usage patterns of 'over-the-counter' vs. prescription-strength nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in France

AIMS

Most risks of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are pharmacological, dose and duration dependent. Usage patterns of prescription-only (POM) or 'over-the-counter (OTC)' NSAIDs may influence risks, but are not commonly described.

METHODS

The Echantillon Généraliste de Bénéficiaires database, the permanent 1/97 representative sample from the French national healthcare insurance systems, was queried over 2009-2010 to identify usage patterns, concomitant chronic diseases and cardiovascular medication in OTC and POM NSAID users.

RESULTS

Over 2 years, 229 477 of 526 108 patients had at least one NSAID dispensation; 44 484 patients (19%) were dispensed only OTC NSAIDs (93% ibuprofen) and 121 208 (53%) only POM NSAIDs. The OTC users were younger (39.9 vs. 47.4 years old) and more often female (57 vs. 53%); 69% of OTC users and 49% of POM users had only one dispensation. A mean of 14.6 defined daily doses (DDD) were dispensed over 2 years for OTC vs. 53 for POM; 93% OTC vs. 60% POM patients bought ≤ 30 DDD over 2 years, and 1.5 vs. 12% bought ≥ 90 DDD. Chronic comorbidities were found in 19% of OTC users vs. 28% of POM users; 24 vs. 37% had at least one dispensation of a cardiovascular drug over the 2 years.

CONCLUSIONS

Most of the use of NSAIDs appears to be short term, especially for OTC-type NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen. The validity of risk estimates for NSAIDs extrapolated from clinical trials or from observational studies not including OTC-type usage may need to be revised.

The importance of health literacy in the development of 'Self Care'' cards for community pharmacies in Ireland

Objective

'Self Care’'cards play a significant role in delivering health education via community pharmacies in Australia and New Zealand. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate whether such an initiative could have a similar impact in an Irish context. The secondary objective was to understand the importance of health literacy to this initiative.

Methods

Ten cards were developed for the Irish healthcare setting and trialed as a proof of concept study. The pilot study ran in ten community pharmacies in the greater Cork area for a six-month period. Using a mixed methods approach (Questionnaires & focus group) staff and patient reactions to the initiative were obtained. Concurrent to the pilot study, readability scores of cards (Flesch-Kincaid, Fry, SMOG methods) and the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM) health literacy screening tool was administered to a sample of patients.

Results

88.7% of patient respondents (n=53) liked the concept of the 'Self Care’' cards and 83% of respondents agreed that the use of the card was beneficial to their understanding of their ailment. Focus groups with Pharmacy staff highlighted the importance of appropriate training for the future development of this initiative. An emerging theme from designing the cards was health literacy. The pilot 'Self Care’'cards were pitched at too high a literacy level for the general Irish public to understand as determined by readability score methods. It was found that 19.1% of a sample population (n=199) was deemed to have low health literacy skills.

Conclusions

The 'Self Care’'initiative has the potential to be Pharmacy’s contribution to health education in Ireland. The initiative needs to be cognizant of the health literacy framework that equates the skills of individuals to the demands placed upon them.

Study of natural health product adverse reactions (SONAR): active surveillance of adverse events following concurrent natural health product and prescription drug use in community pharmacies

BACKGROUND

Many consumers use natural health products (NHPs) concurrently with prescription medications. As NHP-related harms are under-reported through passive surveillance, the safety of concurrent NHP-drug use remains unknown. To conduct active surveillance in participating community pharmacies to identify adverse events related to concurrent NHP-prescription drug use.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

Participating pharmacists asked individuals collecting prescription medications about (i) concurrent NHP/drug use in the previous three months and (ii) experiences of adverse events. If an adverse event was identified and if the patient provided written consent, a research pharmacist conducted a guided telephone interview to gather additional information after obtaining additional verbal consent and documenting so within the interview form. Over a total of 112 pharmacy weeks, 2615 patients were screened, of which 1037 (39.7%; 95% CI: 37.8% to 41.5%) reported concurrent NHP and prescription medication use. A total of 77 patients reported a possible AE (2.94%; 95% CI: 2.4% to 3.7%), which represents 7.4% of those using NHPs and prescription medications concurrently (95%CI: 6.0% to 9.2%). Of 15 patients available for an interview, 4 (26.7%: 95% CI: 4.3% to 49.0%) reported an AE that was determined to be "probably" due to NHP use.

CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE

Active surveillance markedly improves identification and reporting of adverse events associated with concurrent NHP-drug use. Although not without challenges, active surveillance is feasible and can generate adverse event data of sufficient quality to allow for meaningful adjudication to assess potential harms.

Pharmacy student driven detection of adverse drug reactions in the community pharmacy setting

PURPOSE

Post-marketing safety studies of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) form an important part of pharmacovigilance. Countries having a formal pharmacovigilance system to a large extent rely on voluntary ADR reporting from health professionals through spontaneous report systems. The contribution of pharmacists in ADR reporting, although varies significantly among countries. Pharmacists in community pharmacies are in a unique position for detection of experienced ADRs by the drug users. The study reports from a study on community pharmacy internship students' proactive role in ADR detection through direct encountering and questioning with drug users.

METHOD

Pharmacy students undertaking internship in a community pharmacy were approached. Thirteen students from nine community pharmacies participated in the project as data collectors. Prior to the study students attended an educational seminar focusing on ADR detection and reporting in general. Ibuprofen was chosen as the drug of study. Pharmacy students approached recurrent drug users purchasing the drug. Participating users were asked about experienced ADRs linked to ibuprofen use. Reported ADRs were collected and analysed.

RESULTS

Hundred and twenty eight ibuprofen users participated in the study out of who thirty three reported forty five ADRs possibly linked to ibuprofen use. The reported ADRs followed earlier reported patterns of distribution with gastric pain showing up as the most commonly reported symptom followed by heartburn, nausea, diarrhoea and constipation.

CONCLUSIONS

Through adequate training community pharmacy internship students get competencies and are capable of detecting and reporting ADRs through direct questions to drug users.

Characteristics and quality of adverse drug reaction reports by pharmacists in Norway

PURPOSE

To evaluate the characteristics and quality of adverse drug reaction (ADR) reports submitted by pharmacists, and thereby assess the possible contribution of pharmacists to the spontaneous reporting system for ADRs in Norway.

METHODS

An open, prospective study was conducted where dispensing pharmacists from 39 pharmacies were encouraged to report ADRs over a 3-month period. The submitted ADR reports were compared to reports by physicians from the same time period. All reports were evaluated for selected characteristics, that is distribution of Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification codes of suspected drugs, distribution of ADRs according to system-organ classes and the quality of the reports.

RESULTS

A total of 118 reports covering 274 ADRs received from the pharmacists were compared to 109 ADR reports with 304 ADRs submitted by physicians. Pharmacists more often reported ADRs related to cardiovascular drugs, alimentary tract and metabolism drugs and respiratory drugs, whereas physicians more frequently reported ADRs related to musculoskeletal drugs and antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents. ADRs reported by pharmacists more frequently described gastrointestinal reactions while physicians reported more ADRs in relation to the cardiovascular and blood system. Whereas 68% of the physicians' reports were classified as serious, only 5% of the pharmacists' reports were serious. More than 50% of the reports submitted by pharmacists concerned ADRs following a generic substitution, in contrast to only 2% of the physicians' reports. The pharmacists' reports were found to be of a lower documentation grade. However, there was no substantial difference in a subjective assessment of the quality of information in the reports submitted by the two categories of health professionals.

CONCLUSIONS

Pharmacists submit valuable ADR reports which provide information complimentary to physicians' reports. This emphasises that pharmacist ADR reporting might constitute an important addition to the spontaneous reporting system.

Developing consensus around the pharmaceutical public health competencies for community pharmacists in Scotland

OBJECTIVE

The new community pharmacy contract in Scotland will formalise the role of pharmacists in delivering public health services. To facilitate assessment of education and training needs it is necessary to define the relevant public health competencies for community pharmacists. The objective of this research was to define and develop consensus around such competencies.

METHODS

The "Skills for Health National Occupational Standards for Public Health Practitioners" was used to define an initial set of competencies. A two stage Delphi technique was undertaken to develop consensus. An expert panel, representing public health and pharmacy stakeholders, rated their agreement with the importance of each competency, with the agreement level set at 90%.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Level of agreement (%) with each public health competency; those competencies achieving more than 90% agreement with importance for community pharmacy practice.

RESULTS

Ten organisations (83% of those invited) and a total of 30 members (88%) agreed to take part in the process. In round 1 of the Delphi, responses were received from 25 (83%) individuals and 22 (73%) in round 2, with consensus being achieved for 25/68 (37%) competencies in round 1 and a further 8/68 (12%) in round 2.

CONCLUSION

Public health competencies for community pharmacists achieving consensus predominantly focused on health improvement activities at individual and local community levels and ethical management of self rather than those relating to surveillance and assessment and strategic development. There is a need to research community pharmacists' views of these competencies and to systematically assess their education and training needs.

Ibuprofen: A Journey from Prescription to Over-the-Counter Use

Ibuprofen was the first non-aspirin non-steroidal antiinflammatory drug (NSAID) to be approved for over-the-. counter (OTC) use and is widely considered to be the best tolerated drug of its class. Low-dose, OTC ibuprofen has been used for pain relief for over 30 years without any obvious major health issues. However, there is no clear differentiation between the OTC and prescription doses of ibuprofen, and their respective effects. Adverse reactions to ibuprofen appear to be dose and duration dependent, and this may be the reason for the observed tolerability of the drug at OTC doses. OTC ibuprofen is at least as effective as aspirin and more effective than paracetamol. The tolerability concerns associated with higher dose NSAIDs currently do not apply to low-dose, short-term use of ibuprofen for common pain. Ibuprofen is associated with the least risk of GI complications compared with other NSAIDs and is considered relatively benign in overdose. This review will aim to distinguish the safety of OTC or non-prescription use of ibuprofen from its prescription use.

Monitoring adverse drug reactions in children using community pharmacies: a pilot study

AIMS

To determine the feasibility of a community pharmacy-based parental adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting system for children.

DESIGN

Prospective study of parent-reported ADRs using a questionnaire issued to the parent or guardians of children 0-11 years of age collecting prescribed medicine for amoxicillin, and/or salbutamol, and collecting prescribed medicine for, or purchasing, paracetamol or ibuprofen suspension.

SETTING

Seven community pharmacies in Grampian, Scotland.

RESULTS

During a 4-week period 360 prescriptions or purchases for the study medications occurred. Two hundred and sixty-seven parents (85.5%) agreed to participate in the study. One hundred and six participants (40%) returned a total of 122 questionnaires. The demographics of responders and nonresponders including medication, age of child, and social status as assessed by the Depcat score were similar. There was no evidence of under-representation of any socio-economic group. Possible adverse events were detected using a symptom tick list and perceived ADRs using free text entry. Using the symptom tick list approach the most commonly reported symptoms were diarrhoea (28.9%) and tiredness (31.6%) for amoxicillin. The levels of diarrhoea and tiredness reported for ibuprofen, paracetamol and salbutamol were 15% and 20%, 7.4% and 18.5%, and 20% and 0%, respectively. Using the freehand section of the questionnaire 15 specific ADRs were reported by parents (12.3%). Eight children (21.2%) reported ADRs attributed to amoxicilin [diarrhoea (n = 4), fever (n = 1), anorexia (n = 1), hyperactivity (n = 1) and nonspecific (n = 1)], five to paracetamol [diarrhoea (n = 3), anorexia, irritability, crying and very angry (n = 1) and not stated (n = 1)], two to ibuprofen [diarrhoea (n = 1), not stated (n = )]. Only one off-label prescription was identified and this was for salbutamol syrup prescribed to a child under 2 years of age.

CONCLUSIONS

The prospective monitoring of paediatric ADRs, using a questionnaire issued to parents or guardians in the community pharmacies, is feasible.

Veterinary pharmacovigilance. Part 2. Veterinary pharmacovigilance in practice -- the operation of a spontaneous reporting scheme in a European Union country -- the UK, and schemes in other countries

Veterinary pharmacovigilance, as it operates in the European Union (EU), covers a very broad remit, including adverse effects in treated animals, exposed humans and the environment, and in addition, it extends to cover the violation of maximum residue limits. The mainstay of veterinary pharmacovigilance is the spontaneous reporting scheme working along side other systems such as those reporting on residues surveillance. One of the most well established schemes in the EU is that operating in the UK and this paper examines the evolution of that scheme and some of its findings, data from other countries, and information available from the literature. It also tentatively examines the ways that pharmacovigilance can be used for regulatory purposes, and the contribution from pharmacoepidemiology.

[Adverse drug reaction reporting in emergency medicine]

METHODS

A regional survey was performed between June and September 2002, to evaluate knowledge and attitudes of emergency physicians regarding adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting in a French district. 100 questionnaires completed by physicians working in emergency departments and/or mobile intensive care units were analysed.

RESULTS

The frequency of ADRs encountered by emergency practitioners was estimated at > or = 0.73 per year and per physician. The ADR notification rate in emergency medicine was estimated at < or = 6%. A minority of physicians were responsible for the majority of ADR reporting. Sixty-four percent of emergency physicians underestimated the conditions required for ADR notification: 28% thought that certain causality was an absolute necessary condition for notification, while 37% considered that notification was required only for ADRs that were both severe and unexpected.

CONCLUSION

Interventions focused on advertising ADR reporting procedures could help to improve the notification rate in emergency medicine.

Issues related to monitoring the safety of over-the-counter (OTC) medicines

Pharmaceutical advances over the past 50 years have benefited many people in terms of disease prevention and management. However, probably without exception, most pharmaceutical products can cause adverse consequences of varying severity and frequency. In the last 10 years, many medicines that were originally prescription only have now become available over the counter (OTC), either from pharmacies or other general retail outlets. The volume and value of OTC medicine sales have increased accordingly. These switches have been well regulated and based on clear criteria and evidence of safety. Benefits of the changes include increased convenience to patients, greater self-management of minor ailments and a reduction in government drug expenditure.However, there are important differences between medicines supplied OTC and on medical prescription. With OTC medicines there is generally less healthcare professional input into the recommendation or ongoing monitoring of use. There is an absence of records per se, or linkage to other medication records elsewhere, and most countries allow direct-to-consumer advertising of the product. Taken together these differences can result in inappropriate expectations, demand and use of the OTC medicines, with limited opportunity for ongoing patient follow-up and monitoring of safety. Methodologies for pharmacy-based epidemiological studies of OTC medicines need to be developed. Studies should be large enough to detect associations that might exist, and to consider other explanations for associations such as chance, bias or confounding. There have already been some pilot studies with encouraging results with respect to follow-up rates. Outcome data however have usually been self-reported and the studies have lacked a suitable comparison group. Purchasers and suppliers of OTC medicines should also be made aware of, and encouraged to use, existing systems for spontaneous reporting of suspected adverse events, such as the Yellow Card Scheme in the UK. While available OTC medicines are perceived to be generally safe, problems have occasionally arisen with some earlier switched products (e.g. terfenadine). There have also been concerns about some traditional herbal and homeopathic remedies such as St John's wort. While such adverse events are rare, they emphasise the need for healthcare professionals and the public to understand and manage such risks. Many doctors are unaware of the range of OTC preparations available, and therefore do not consider them as a possible cause of presenting symptoms. Neither do they take them into account when making a new prescribing decision. The public need to be aware that OTC medicines should be treated with the same care as prescribed medicines, and that advice on recommended dose, contraindications and interactions should be adhered to.

Pharmacovigilance of herbal medicines : a UK perspective

There is an increasing awareness at several levels of the need to develop pharmacovigilance practices for herbal medicines. The current model of pharmacovigilance and its associated tools have been developed in relation to synthetic drugs, and applying these methods to monitoring the safety of herbal medicines presents unique challenges in addition to those described for conventional medicines. Several problems relate to the ways in which herbal medicines are named, perceived, sourced, and utilised. Other important challenges arise from the current regulatory framework for herbal medicines in the UK. In the UK at present, the Committee on Safety of Medicines/Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency's (CSM/MHRA) 'yellow card' scheme for adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting is the main method of monitoring the safety of herbal medicines. Despite recent initiatives to stimulate reporting of suspected ADRs associated with herbal medicines, such as extending the scheme to unlicensed herbal products, and including community pharmacists as recognised reporters, numbers of herbal ADR reports received by the CSM/MHRA remain relatively low. Under-reporting, an inevitable and important limitation of spontaneous reporting schemes, is likely to be significant for herbal medicines, since users typically do not seek professional advice about their use of such products, or report if they experience adverse effects. The herbal sector in the UK has initiated various spontaneous reporting schemes, based on the yellow card scheme, but targeted mainly at herbal-medicine practitioners. It is important that these schemes have a link with the CSM/MHRA so that potential signals are not missed. Several other tools used in pharmacovigilance of conventional medicines, such as prescription-event monitoring, and the use of computerised health-record databases, currently are of no use for evaluating the safety of herbal and other non-prescription medicines. Proposed European Union legislation for traditional herbal medicinal products will require manufacturers of products registered under new national schemes to comply with regulatory provisions on pharmacovigilance. In the longer term, other improvements in safety monitoring of herbal medicines may include modifications to existing methodology, patient reporting and greater consideration of pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics in optimising the safety of herbal medicines.