[International efforts in the field of drug safety]

The competence of the World Health Organization in the area of safety of pharmaceutical products is based on its constitution and on several resolutions of the World Health Assembly. Evaluation of the safety of pharmaceutical products is one of the major concerns of WHO together with other research activities in the socioeconomic field. The following programmes, amongst others, make up this activity: international drug monitoring, exchange of information on decisions of withdrawal or changes in drug use and on marketing of new products, commented information on problems of international interest, exchange of information on registration systems and control of drug marketing in different countries. Several systems of communication exist between WHO and Member States, but of these the Drug Information Bulletin is the most important. In the future, WHO may provide an independent forum for the discussion of topics relating to drug safety which are of interest to the International community.