I was interested to read in the August edition of SJGPthat there are proposals to involve patients in reporting drug side effects.1 It is now 30 years since I suggested that patients should be allowed to report suspected side effects of :inedication to the Committee on Safety of Medicines (CSM). In my proposals any patient prescribed a drug within 1 year of that drug being granted a licence should receive apre-paid postcard advising them of the novel status of that drug, and advising that they should notify the CSM of any untoward incident or occurrence within a specified period after taking that product. This would extend to reporting any concerns about a child born subsequently, should the patient have been pregnant when taking the drug. In tandem with this, any doctor prescribing a drug within 1 year of licensing should be obliged to report all medical events experienced by the patient during the following 12 months.
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