Report medicine side effects to Lareb, not just online
During Bijwerkingenweek (side effects week), the medicines regulator asks people to report possible side effects to Lareb and not only share them on social media, so that the report is actually investigated.
The CBG, the Dutch medicines regulator, is calling on people to report possible medicine side effects to the side effects centre Lareb (Bijwerkingencentrum Lareb). It says they should do so during Bijwerkingenweek, and not only share their story online.
Lareb collects and analyses all reports of possible side effects. The CBG says the more people report, the more is learned about a medicine's safety.
A lot is already known about side effects before a medicine is approved, the CBG says. But some only emerge once many different people use it. Others appear only after long-term use or through a combination with other medicines.
Ton de Boer, former CBG board chairman, says experiences shared on social media can be relatable and supportive. But, he says, not everything online is correct. Sometimes a complaint is blamed on a medicine when there is another cause, or wrong information is spread on purpose.
"One person's experience tells you little about how common a complaint is or what causes it," De Boer says. "That is why reporting is so important: we can investigate those reports properly."
Source: CBG
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CBG (College ter Beoordeling van Geneesmiddelen)
The Medicines Evaluation Board is the Dutch agency that assesses medicines and decides whether they may be sold in the Netherlands. It also monitors the safety of medicines after they have been approved. Its role is to make sure that medicines available here are effective and safe for patients.
Bijwerkingencentrum Lareb
The Netherlands Pharmacovigilance Centre is the organisation where patients and healthcare professionals can report suspected side effects of medicines, vaccines and other medical products. Its staff collect and analyse these reports to detect possible safety problems early. The reports help the authorities decide whether medicines need extra monitoring, warnings or other measures.