Achieving patient engagement in pharmacovigilance: from high-income countries to lower and -middle-income countries with focus on Africa

INTRODUCTION: Patient engagement in pharmacovigilance (PEP) has been shown to improve information on adverse drug reactions (ADRs), which may not be found in reports from healthcare professionals. This review shows that there is paucity of information on PEP in lower-middle-income countries (LMICs), particularly Africa. It provides insights into PEP in high-income countries (HICs) compared with Africa to help identify the disparities and system challenges in Africa.

AREAS COVERED: We discussed the impact of PEP in HICs in comparison with Africa and incorporated two case studies: PEP in Ghana and medication error reporting in Africa using a scoping review. Recommendations were made to improve medication safety in Africa based on the identified disparities and system challenges.

EXPERT OPINION: PEP is at an early stage in LMICs, particularly in Africa, with limited information available regarding patients' contributions to the safety of medicines. There should be further research into patients' roles in pharmacovigilance accompanied by advocacy efforts with policymakers, the development of sustainable funding strategies, benchmarking against experienced pharmacovigilance centers, and the use of technology to improve patient reporting.