Harmonising adverse drug reaction terminology - The role of the council for international organizations of medical sciences

Health professionals from different countries are known to differ considerably in their use of medical terminology, including the terminology used for adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and in the exact meanings attributed to terms. To remedy this situation, the Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences (CIOMS) has attempted to provide definitions and basic requirements for proper use of ADR terms. The work has concentrated on terms liable to be misinterpreted and those used for serious and frequently reported ADRs. For every selected term a short monograph has been prepared. It consists of a preamble, definition, basic requirements for use of the term and additional comments, if any. In cooperation with medical experts, drug regulators and the pharmaceutical industry, 13 papers have been published so far. Approximately 160 terms have been defined and work on another 50 terms continues. The full collection of monographs will eventually appear in the form of a book and CD-ROM intended to help doctors fill in case reports, and regulatory agencies and the pharmaceutical industry assess reports. Pharmaceutical companies receive numerous reports of suspected ADRs from medical practitioners and other prescribing professionals. Each company is required to transmit these reports to the drug regulatory agency of the country, or countries, in which the drug is used. Therefore, in addition to receiving the correct name of the ADR, collecting and evaluating centres, regardless of whether they are part of a regulatory agency or a pharmaceutical company, need to be provided with sufficient supporting data to be convinced that what is reported was what was actually observed, and that the ADR term used represents the observed event.