Latvia Receives 384 Reports of Suspected Medicine Side Effects This Year
Latvia's State Agency of Medicines has received 384 reports of suspected medicine side effects this year. It urges people to report even a mere suspicion, as this helps make medicine use safer.
Latvia has received 384 reports of suspected medicine side effects so far this year. The State Agency of Medicines (ZVA), which oversees medicine safety in the country, is reminding residents to report any suspected side effect and not to delay doing so.
Why reporting matters
ZVA stresses that spotting possible side effects in good time, and reporting them, is essential to monitoring medicine safety. Agate Akmane, head of the agency's Medicine Safety Department, says that reporting may seem like a small action, but it matters greatly in making medicine use safer for everyone. She urges people not to ignore a suspected side effect and to report it.
What to know before reporting
A suspicion is enough to file a report. A person does not need to be sure that a medicine is linked to the health problem they have noticed. ZVA also asks people to report health problems that arise when medicines are used contrary to the instructions in the package leaflet, for example through an overdose or incorrect use.
How to submit a report
Reports can be submitted by filling in the electronic form on the ZVA website, www.zva.gov.lv. Users should find the section "Pacientiem un sabiedrībai" (For patients and the public), select "Zāles" (Medicines), and then "Ziņot par zāļu blaknēm" (Report medicine side effects). Such reports help the agency see possible problems with medicine use, and they form part of the basis of medicine safety monitoring.
