[A project for the monitoring of drug risks in public pharmacies]

For several years now, a pharmaceutical risk-reporting system has been accessible to pharmacists in the Federal Republic of Germany, and has proved highly successful. Each month about 100 messages are received from pharmacists, which mainly concern galenic shortcomings, but also undesirable effects, misuse, packing errors and other anomalies. In view of this successful experience abroad, the Swiss Association of Pharmacists (SAV) has decided to install a similar reporting system in Switzerland. The principle is that individual pharmacists supervise, insofar as possible, the pharmaceutical quality of the drugs, and above all record the views of patients (especially complaints), communicating their suspicions to a special board of experts on a reporting sheet. It is the task of this board to check each message, make further enquiries where necessary, and, in appropriate cases, contact the medico-pharmaceutical bodies (official authorities, research and medical institutes, WHO, etc.). These bodies will then set in motion the necessary action. The SAV is convinced that such a reporting system will make a substantial contribution to improving the safety of medicaments.