Public opinion survey on key issues pertaining to post-market surveillance of marketed health products in Canada

D. Banner tables (under separate cover) Post-Market Surveillance of Marketed Health Products in Canada – Final Report Executive Summary Introduction A current priority of the Health Products and Food Branch (HPFB) in Health Canada is to evaluate the effectiveness of the current methods used to communicate drug safety information, in order to provide direction for improvements and to provide benchm [...] The basis for this viewpoint comes from the significant priority which the public places on drug safety and public health protection, coupled with the belief that a mandatory approach would be helpful (if not necessary) to increase the number of ADRs being reported to Health Canada (the survey informed respondents that the majority of ADRs in Canada are not currently reported). [...] Another important consideration is the differences among naturopaths compared to the other health professions in their perceptions of the safety of marketed health products and their use of drug safety information. [...] Health Canada is also responsible for the post-market surveillance of drugs, including the monitoring of adverse reactions that may go undetected in the controlled conditions of clinical trials, to identify as quickly as possible any emerging health risks and to ensure the dissemination of information for the selection of appropriate therapies. [...] A current priority of the Health Products and Food Branch (HPFB) in Health Canada is to evaluate the effectiveness of the current methods used to communicate drug safety information, in order to provide direction for improvements and to provide benchmark data for future evaluations.