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Contact:
Julita Peter
Tuesday, June 19, 2007 – The OECS Pharmaceutical Procurement Services
-OECS/PPS is soon to become the sub-region’s “Pharmacovigilance Centre”.
Pharmacovigilance is the term used to described the systematic approach in
reporting adverse reaction to Anti-retroviral drugs or ARV’s. At a
Anti-retroviral Drug Supply Management Conference in Saint Lucia, June 11th
-16th organized by the OECS/PPS, delegates brainstormed on the setting up of an
appropriate and effective system of reporting. Delegates included clinical care
nurses, pharmacists, and managers of central medical stores in the OECS.
Project Co-ordinator of the OECS HIV/AIDS Management Unit, Dr James St.
Catherine noted
that pharmacovigilance is a necessary exercise, in that one is dealing with
drugs which are at the peak of sophistication. “You are also dealing with a
virus which is at the peck of sophistication in terms of the virus world. That’s
a natural phenomenon and so therefore you have to be able to identify this
early, because what you do not want is to lose consumer confidence in your
products, ”Dr. St. Catherine said.
The PAN Caribbean Partnership Against HIV/AIDS-PANCAP, has pledged its
unflinching support to the region and by extension the OECS HIV/AIDS Programme
Unit – HAPU, in strengthening the regional response to HIV/AIDS.
“We need to always remember that the world of 2007 is somewhat different to what
it was even five years ago when PANCAP started, said PANCAP's Director Carl
Brown. We need to appreciate that the resources that we mobilize is being more
and more difficult to mobilize those resources and the demands are greater;
there is a whole big emphasis now on results.”
Pharmacists in particular are seen as critical in the administration of
anti-retroviral drugs. In light
of that the June 11th to 16th, conference also focused on empowering them with
the latest treatment protocols of ARV's. This is to help patients maintain the
required 95 percent adherence rate to the medication to decrease the possibility
of resistance. Another critical area at the conference dealt with quantification
and forecasting of ARV's.
“We need to forecast accurately, said OECS PPS Director Francis Burnett, so that
when we invite suppliers to tender they could import into their warehouses what
we plan to purchase so that our purchases will closely match what we forecast on
our tender documents.”
The OECS PPS intends to provide specialized training to one or two staff members
as super trainers to roll out the software in each OECS country. It is a highly
sophisticated spreadsheet with a number of formulae.
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