The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 269 No 7225 p743
23 November 2002

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  Public health
  Community pharmacy
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Letters to the Editor

ADR reporting

Certainty is not necessary

From Mr C. Anton

Louise Hughes and colleagues (PDF 70K) deserve praise for researching into the poorly understood area of recognising symptoms or adverse drug reactions (PJ, 16 November, p719). However, there was one important omission in the paper. The Committee on Safety of Medicines now asks that all drugs used in children should be treated as "black triangle" drugs and all suspected adverse reactions should be reported.

Therefore, I would add to their useful advice to community pharmacists that they should encourage parents to inform them of any ADRs experienced by their children.

It was also interesting to read some of the comments, particularly the pharmacist who began "We must make sure ...". The CSM does not require certainty before reporting only a suspicion. So pharmacists should use their clinical judgement and experience to decide the facts, but they should not be put off reporting because they cannot be sure.

Christopher Anton
Administrative Co-ordinator,
West Midlands Centre for Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting,
City Hospital,
Birmingham

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