Abstract
Notable improvements have been achieved in pharmacovigilance in the Middle East and Arab regions over the past 20 years. Nevertheless, there is remarkable disparity in pharmacovigilance practices in various parts of the Arab region regarding their capability, with some regions having an advanced pharmacovigilance and reporting system (Morocco, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Jordan), while others significantly lag in their pharmacovigilance procedures (Libya, Yemen, and Palestine). Countries such as Somalia, Djibouti, Mauritania, and Comoros Islands have no pharmacovigilance systems or culture. Only 45% of Arab countries are official members of the World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for International Drug Monitoring. This review provides a general overview of the current situation regarding pharmacovigilance systems in Arab countries. Furthermore, it covers the practice of pharmacovigilance by different stakeholders in Arab countries. Despite the existence of guidelines on good pharmacovigilance practices for Arab countries, better harmonization of pharmacovigilance requirements in Arab countries is still needed in terms of resources, health systems, awareness, and applications. Several recommendations are proposed in this review to enhance the culture of pharmacovigilance in the Arab countries.
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Alshammari, T.M. (2021). Pharmacovigilance in the Arab World. In: Laher, I. (eds) Handbook of Healthcare in the Arab World. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74365-3_185-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74365-3_185-1
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