Thank you joining #MedsafetyWeek

Thanks for following our social media channels the past week as we highlighted the importance of reporting side effects to #Medsafety360 and how we all have the power to make medicines safer.

But the work doesn’t stop here – #PMRA will continue to collect and monitor reports of suspected side effects from patients and healthcare professionals to ensure medicines are used safely.

Remember that every report counts when it comes to the safety of medicines and patients worldwide.

Continue to #ReportSideEffects and help us make medicines safer ✅

PMRA joins 10th anniversary campaign for safer use of medicines

The Pharmacy and Medicines Regulatory Authority (PMRA) today joins 130 national medicine regulatory agencies and organizations from 117 countries across the global in taking part in this year’s #MedSafetyWeek, a global social media campaign aimed at raising awareness about the importance of reporting side effects of medicines.

The campaign, now in its 10^th year, runs from 3^rd to 9^th November 2025 under the theme ‘we can all make medicines safer’. It encourages patients, families, and healthcare professionals to report any suspected side effects to help protect others.

Medicines save lives and improve the health of millions of people globally. Sometimes they can also cause unintended side effects. Regulatory agencies around the world, such as PMRA, use reports from patients and healthcare professionals to monitor the safety of medicines and respond to any potential risks. Unfortunately, research indicates that only about 5–10% of all suspected side effects are reported.

This means that it may take longer to identify important safety issues. By raising awareness through #MedSafetyWeek, we want more people to know that their report matters.

Common reasons for not reporting suspected side effects from medicines include not knowing it’s possible, not thinking it matters, and sometimes fear of litigation.

The Authority, therefore, would like to assure healthcare workers and the general public that reporting side effects of medicines has no negative consequences to the reporter.

Reports about side effects can be submitted easily through Medsafe-360, a mobile phone based USSD platform accessible on Airtel and TNM networks by dialing *360#. Medsafe-360 is free of charge, works on both smart and ordinary phones and does not require internet connectivity.