Med Safety

Strengthening pharmacovigilance through new technology

The Med Safety suite offers specialised products, services, and expertise to support regulators and national authorities conduct pharmacovigilance activities and contribute to strengthening drug and vaccine safety surveillance globally.

The Med Safety App was created under the WEB-RADR project, an initiative launched in 2014 to explore and utilise the powers of social media and new technologies for pharmacovigilance purposes. Through collaboration between the WEB-RADR project, the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Uppsala Monitoring Centre (UMC), and the MHRA, the Med Safety mobile app was launched in 2017 to support direct electronic reporting of suspected adverse reactions.

Med Safety is maintained by the MHRA on a non-for-profit basis. Ongoing support, platform maintenance, and enhancements are covered by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Supporting adverse event reporting and safety communication

Originally designed as a mobile app, Med Safety is an electronic reporting tool that empowers health professionals and members of the public to easily submit suspected adverse reaction (ADR) reports for medicines and vaccines. Med Safety facilitates direct and structured reporting of suspected ADRs to National Centres. Users can also access up-to-date information and news alerts for selected products of interest.

Available for National Regulatory Authorities and Expanded Programmes on Immunisation

Overtime, Med Safety has been re-platformed to facilitate easy adoption by National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs) and Expanded Programmes on Immunisation (EPIs). In addition, associated tools have been created including Vigilance Hub to help NRAs manage the back-end system of the the app.

Med Safety can be implemented globally, since 2017 it has successfully been launched in over 20 countries including Burkina Faso, Zambia, Armenia, Ghana, Ethiopia, Botswana, Cote d’Ivoire and Uganda. 

Cost and implementation

Med Safety offers an affordable low cost option for NRAs to collect, manage and share adverse event data. Med Safety is free for low and middle-income countries (LMICs) to adopt and use. Ongoing enhancements and maintenance of Med Safety are covered by the Gates Foundation.

To further facilitate Med Safety implementation and correct use, the MHRA will provide technical support to countries in the form of onboarding support, Med Safety setup, and launch assistance at no additional cost. The MHRA will provide free training sessions and supporting documentation that covers a wide range of topics.

Please contact: WEB-RADR@mhra.gov.uk for further information about Med Safety costs, implementation and maintenance.

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