It is important to establish a strict and effective reporting system for adverse drug reactions and better educate medical workers, pharmacists and the public about bad reactions, said officials at the National Conference on Adverse Drug Reactions and Clinical Safety Drug Administration in the Shanghai over the weekend.

More than 150 officials and experts from home and abroad took part in the meeting. Compared with the West, China lags behind in ADR monitoring and administration. "Only several thousand adverse reaction cases are reported annually in China, far less than the actual situation," said Zhang Zongjiu, an official from the Ministry of Health.

Officials said there are misunderstandings about ADR, which is often blamed on poor drug quality and medical accidents. Being afraid that others will question drug quality, pharmaceutical companies don't report ADR. Fearing a lawsuit, many doctors don't report ADR in time, officials added.

However, national and local health authorities have aroused awareness on ADR reporting and monitoring issues. Shanghai has broadened ADR reporting to cover the whole process of drug manufacturing, processing, sales and use, and has targeted both drugs and high-risk medical appliances.

"Shanghai is also planning to establish a database for 200,000 local elderly people on adverse drug reactions. A small network covering 3,000 diabetes patients has been finished," said Zhang Yaohua from the Shanghai Food and Drug Administration.

(Shanghai Daily November 22, 2004)