It is a research unit, but also «a kind of observatory to assess the risks and benefits of medicines» that the Portuguese, especially the Algarve and Alentejo, take.
The new Pharmacovigilance Unit of the Algarve and Alentejo was inaugurated this Monday, at the University of Algarve, and marks the beginning of the decentralization of this type of units, which go from four to eight, spread across the country.
"This type of units are important to ensure the safety of populations, but they are also a great help for clinical research", illustrated Henrique Luz Rodrigues, president of Infarmed, who was in Faro to sign a protocol with UAlg, for the official creation of this new service.
It was not by chance that the place chosen to install the Algarve and Alentejo Pharmacovigilance Unit was the new building on the Campus de Gambelas, built from scratch to house, among others, the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Medicine of the Algarve university. In this way, it is possible to be close to the scientific community, but also to current and future health professionals in the region.
«We want to leave the Lisbon Health Park and get closer to the population. Let's go from four to eight units. After the Algarve, we will also inaugurate pharmacovigilance units at the University of Beira Interior and the University of Minho», exemplified Henrique Luz Rodrigues.
The opening session of this new role of the National Health Service in the Algarve was attended by the Secretary of State for Health Manuel Delgado, who highlighted "the extraordinary advance" that the presence of this type of unit brings to the Algarve and Alentejo, even by a matter of representation in the studies that are carried out on the effects of medications.
The drugs are tested before being launched on the market, but, stressed Henrique Luz Rodrigues, «increasingly less». “Many times, the drugs are offered for sale, but under condition, being re-evaluated later. As we all know, medicines can bring benefits, but they can also be a risk”, he explained.
Thus, the unit will closely monitor the population of both regions, to ensure that the drugs on the market are safe and that they bring more advantages than disadvantages.
Comments