A British Medical Association (BMA) report published this month reveals that over 250, 000 patients are admitted to hospital after suffering an adverse reaction to a drug every year.
Serious reactions to medicines can include sudden death, respiratory failure and heart attacks.
The BMA is concerned that adverse drug reactions are seriously under-reported. It wants to boost reporting rates in order to protect patients' health and save lives.
The report calls on health professionals to inform regulators every time an adverse reaction to a drug is suspected.
Dr Vivienne Nathansan, head of the BMA Ethics and Science, warned doctors to be particularly vigilant in reporting reactions to new drugs because of the limitations of clinical trials. She said that when a drug is first introduced little may be known about its safety.
The BMA wants doctors to continue to use the Yellow Card Scheme to report adverse drug reactions directly to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
The scheme was set up in 1964 after serious adverse reactions associated with the drug Thalidomide.
When first introduced, only doctors and dentists could issue a warning but this has now been extended to pharmacists, nurses and coroners.
The MHRA welcomed the report, saying healthcare professionals had a key role in reporting unwanted side effects of medicines.
Specialist clinical negligence solicitor Ann Alexander, who represents two most seriously ill victims of the clinicaldrugtrial of TGN1412 said:
"It is vitally important that doctors are encouraged to report instances of adverse drug reactions. These reactions can be very serious and put patients' lives at risk. We need to gather all the information we can about a new drug in order to make sure patients are not put at risk in this way."
"The extension of the yellow card reporting scheme to coroners and pharmacists is particularly important in order to help detect rogue doctors who are deliberately harming patients by giving them inappropriate levels of drugs, as in the case of Harold Shipman."
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- 24/04/2006: Judge rules Merck are liable for Vioxx side effects
- 23/03/2006: Clinical drug trials - leading clinical negligence solicitor explains
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- 07/02/2006: Government announces review of Corner's system
- 22/08/2005: First UK Vioxx case filed in the USA
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