Health Professionals, Researches Exchange Ideas for Better Drug Safety Policies

The possibilities and challenges of constructing effective drug safety systems in Palestine were addressed in a lecture held on July 26, 2016, hosted by Birzeit University’s Institute of Community and Public Health (ICPH).

Entitled “Towards the Construction of an Effective Drug Safety System in Palestine: Lessons Learned from other Low- and Middle-Income countries", main speaker Ridwan Ahmad,  an independent consultant with over 15 years of experience working at the United States Food and Drug Administration and a lecturer at Georgetown University in Washington D.C., spoke about the critical issues surrounding the construction of effective drug safety policies- also known as pharmacovigilance- in Palestine utilizing examples from other low- and middle-income countries to frame the discussion.

A lively discussion arose between the attendees, which included staff of the General Directorate of Pharmacy at the Ministry of Health, pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors, pharmacists, and researchers at Birzeit University.

The event was sponsored by a grant provided by Dr. Danya Qato, a U.S. Fulbright Scholar who taught pharmaceutical policy at the Birzeit College of Pharmacy and is based at the Institute of Community and Public Health.