Veselinka Vukicevic, from the Calims, said that Montenegro has been a member of the World Health Organization’s program for international medicine safety monitoring since 2009 and that they have a functioning system after a decade.
The administration of each medicine is accompanied by a certain risk and the most side effects of the medicines have been reported in the group of cytostatics which are used in the treatment of cancer. It was announced at a CALIMS conference ‘’Agency for Medicinal Products and Medical Devices’’ on the occasion of a global campaign to monitor the safety of medicines in 57 countries.
Veselinka Vukicevic, from the Calims said that Montenegro has been a member of the World Health Organization’s program for international drug safety monitoring since 2009 and that they have a functioning system after a decade.
She explained that the theme of this year’s campaign is simultaneous medication administration and risks and that elderly residents and chronic patients are at increased risk.
“One-third of the over-75s take more than six medicines at a time,” Vukicevic said, she noted that the risks of medication that use children and pregnant women are particularly important and that a doctor and pharmacist should be consulted.
Maja Stankovic, from the Calims, said 1030 adverse events have been reported so far. The most common are skin disorders or local reactions, followed by nausea, vomiting, headaches. “About 65 percent of the side effects are not serious,” Stankovic said. She noted that more reports mean better monitoring of side effects.
Representatives of the CALIMS did not answer the question of why the prices of individual medicines are three times more expensive in Montenegro than in Serbia, saying that this is a question for other institutions in the health care system, not just for the CALIMS.
A representative of the Association of Pediatricians, Veselinka Djurisic, said that side effects of medicines should be reported. She said that sometimes the best intention is to resort to a large number of medicines. “Adverse reactions in children manifest as in adults. These are mostly transient and do not leave long-term consequences, but it is important to notice them ” said Djurisic. She added that when it comes to children it should be especially critical in prescribing medication to avoid creating an addiction.
The Health’s spokeswoman Ana Ivanovic Vukcevic said that children are the most vulnerable population. “We report adverse reactions on the vaccine and these are the most common local skin reactions in the form of swelling so far, as well as increased temperatures. These are expected reactions that are not dangerous, ” said Ivanovic Vukcevic.
