NEWS: Government approved the Biovigilance Programme of India (BioVig-India) to strengthen the monitoring and safety of biological products, including vaccines and biological medicines.

ABOUT

• BioVig-India is a national programme for monitoring, detecting, assessing and preventing adverse effects of biological products.
• Objective: Early detection of Adverse Events Following Immunisation (AEFI) and other safety concerns.
• Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) will lead monitoring of adverse events related to medicines and biological products used in organ and tissue transplantation.

RELATED PROGRAMMES

• PvPI: Monitors adverse drug reactions.
• MvPI: Monitors adverse events related to medical devices.
• BioVig-India: Focuses on biological products, including vaccines.

KEY POINT

• 6th National Pharmacovigilance Week: September 17–23.
• Theme: “Promoting Rational Use of Medicines through Pharmacovigilance: A Step Towards Safer Healthcare.”
• India’s contribution to the WHO patient safety database improved from 123rd position (2009–14) to 8th globally.