UK Regulatory Agency Considering Using Social Media for Adverse Events Reporting
Over two years ago at the beginning of the social media/pharma debate, I proposed that social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook would be great for adverse event reporting for drugs, biologics and medical devices. At the time, the suggestion was largely ignored and relegated to the category of “unlikely to happen anytime in my lifetime.”
Imagine my delight after reading a post on today’s Pharmalot Blog which suggested that the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)—the UK equivalent of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)—is considering whether to allow the public to use Twitter and Facebook to report side effects and adverse events.
According to the Pharmalot post:
"The MHRA is now “actively working on introducing other ways of reporting to make it easier and encourage more reporting,” Mick Foy, the MHRA group manager for vigilance and risk management of medicines, tells GP. “Applications for smartphones, improved web reporting forms and the use of social media such as Twitter and Facebook are being carefully considered as potential routes for reporting.”
While the MHRA is considering the use of social media, it is not clear that the agency will ultimately adopt Twitter, Facebook or other mobile applications for adverse event reporting. Like in the US, possible adverse reported in the UK must meet several criteria before they are verified and considered to be reportable adverse events. Despite potential problems and pitfalls, the fact that the MHRA is even considering social media as a means to improve adverse event reporting is laudable; considering the fact that FDA has yet to provide guidance on the use of social media in the US life sciences industry. Many companies, social media advocates and mobile app developers have been waiting for the said guidance for almost two years now.
Like it or not, social media is now part of the social fabric of today’s world. Rather than fighting its implementation, life sciences companies would use their considerable creative talent to figure out how to integrate and leverage social media (in non-promotional ways) to their benefit.
Until next time...
Good Luck and Good Tweeting and Following!!!!
After announcing that it would 
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