Partnering With Patients

Medicine Safety

Partnering with Patients

Do you know how medicines are studied?

Patient Safety

Improve your health

Be as safe as possible

Pharmacovigilance

What can you do

Partnering with Patients for Safety

Helping patients use their medicine more safely

Understanding the roles of patients, healthcare providers, pharmaceutical companies, and regulatory authorities1

You or a loved one will likely take medicine at some point in life.

82% of U.S. adults take at least one medicine, including vitamins and supplements, in a given week2

29% take five or more3

As a patient, you want your medical treatment to:4,5

Safety is everyone’s first priority, but medicines may still have side effects.

Fortunately, there are many steps in place to help protect those who take medicines.

Balancing Benefit and Risk 4,6

Regulatory agencies review data and approve a medicine when its benefits are greater than its risks.

It takes studying thousands of possible new medicines by companies like Pfizer to get ONE through the drug development process and approved by regulatory authorities such as the FDA.7

Companies like Pfizer and regulatory authorities like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) make every effort to understand:

What is pharmacovigilance (PV)?9,10

Pharmacovigilance is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as “the science and activities relating to the detection, assessment, understanding and prevention of adverse effects or any other drug-related problem”

PV includes an extensive safety system

Identifying and managing possible safety concerns associated with the medicines we take

Helping protect patients

Drug companies, healthcare providers and regulators are always monitoring for medicine safety, both before and after a medicine has been approved.

Clinical trials often find common side effects of a medicine, but some effects can only be found when large numbers of people are using the medicine after it is approved.

You, the patient or caregiver, are an important part of this network.10

Understand how to use your medicine more safely and its possible effects1

Read the product information and any other trusted resources available to you

Speak to your healthcare provider about your specific situation

Wherever you live, you should tell your healthcare provider if you experience any side effect. You can also tell the drug company. If you are in the U.S., you can contact the FDA (MedWatch).11,12

Realize you or loved one might be the first to experience a side effect. Please be sure to report any sides effects:

Report side effects for Pfizer products by calling 1-800-438-1985.

Contact the U.S. FDA directly at FDA.gov/Safety/Medwatchor call 1-800-FDA-1088.

To report side effects outside the U.S., ask your healthcare provider or local health authority for more information.

A key piece of the pharmacovigilance process is your own careful attention to side effects.10

Understanding the roles of patients, healthcare providers, pharmaceutical companies, and regulatory authorities¹

82% of U.S. adults take at least one medicine,
including vitamins and supplements, in a given week²

29% take five or more³

As a patient, you want your medical treatment to:^4,5

Balancing Benefit and Risk ^4,6

It takes studying thousands of possible new medicines by companies like Pfizer to get ONE through the drug development process and approved by regulatory authorities such as the FDA.⁷

What is pharmacovigilance (PV)?^9,10

You, the patient or caregiver, are an important part of this network.¹⁰

Understand how to use your medicine more safely and its possible effects¹

Wherever you live, you should tell your healthcare provider if you experience any side effect. You can also tell the drug company. If you are in the U.S., you can contact the FDA (MedWatch).^11,12

A key piece of the pharmacovigilance process is your own careful attention to side effects.¹⁰