Practice-Based Research Networks: Integrating Clinical Data for Improved Pharmacoepidemiology

Pharmacovigilance is concerned with the detection, assessment, understanding, and prevention of adverse reactions to medicines. It is helpful to prevent undesired harm sustained by the patient due to inappropriate or unsafe use of medicinal agents. As the use of drugs and polypharmacy increase in prevalence, pharmacovigilance gains relevance and momentum. Practice-based research networks have the potential to enhance health research by promoting earlier detection of adverse events at a decreased level of cost. This article explores the recent evidence of an improved benefit of administering non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in the fasting state, and authors propose that an improved pharmacovigilance system is both needed and feasible provided records are adapted to a nationwide integration of pharmacoepidemiology data.