Oman Focuses on Negative Impact of Medical Drugs Reports

Dr Sawsan bint Ahmed bin Jaafar, Director-General of Pharmacology and Medicine Monitoring, has said that the World Health Organization accords great significance to after-marketing follow-up of medical drugs and, for this purpose, set up a centre for Medicinal Alert in Uppsala city, Switzerlands. The centre aims to detect any negative impacts of medicines, other than known side effects, in public health and it receives reports on such cases from different parts of the world, said Dr Sawsan.

She added that the centre will study the reports, the medicines and the types of food used during the medicine’s intake, and analyze the outcome. Then the centre sends circulations about the findings to help improve health services and the products themselves. Dr Sawsan explained that the impacts vary from one person to another and from child to adult.

Two specialists, one with doctorate and the other a practising pharmacist, work for the Omani medical alert centre, which is hoped to be transformed into a full-fledged department when more specialists join.

She added that the patients themselves can in future file their own reports of negative impacts of medicines using a simple form which will be available in health institutions. Due to negative impacts the Ministry of Health cancelled the registration of some medicines like Redectil, which contains Sibutramine, a substance used for reducing weight, and removed the medicine from the market, said Dr Sawsan.

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