Network for Reporting Adverse Drug Events

A new online network, RxEvent, launched last week to help facilitate the collection and distribution of information about adverse drug events in the U.S. The service, created by PDR Network, includes pre-population of information as well as an improved mechanism for pharmaceutical manufacturers or the FDA to contact the reporting provider when additional information is required.

“RxEvent was designed to improve the convenience of adverse event reporting for physicians, the cost-efficiency for manufacturers, and the quality of information ultimately reported to the FDA,” Edward Fotsch, MD, chief executive officer of PDR Network, said in a statement.

Roughly half a million adverse drug events are reported annually to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the number is growing rapidly. More than 90% of these reports come from pharmaceutical manufacturers who typically receive them via telephone from physicians and other providers. However, published studies indicate that as few as 10% of adverse drug events are actually reported by health care professionals largely due to the time-consuming and inefficient processes involved.

By integrating electronic health records — which are used by almost 50% of physicians in the U.S. — with adverse drug event reporting, the task is much easier for physicians.

PDR Network expects that RxEvent will be highly used by pharmacists, who report tens of thousands of adverse events annually, and for that reason Thomas Menighan, executive vice president of the American Pharmacists Association, supports the system.

“Pharmacists represent a key contributor to drug safety and we are working closely with PDR, as well as pharmacists in all practice settings across the country, to ensure that RxEvent is immediately available to all U.S. pharmacists,” he said.