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OECS/ PPS Soon To Become Sub-region's Pharmacovililance Centre


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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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