Title : Pharmacovigilance in Algeria: Current status, challenges and future perspectives
Abstract:
Background: Pharmacovigilance plays a fundamental role in ensuring drug safety by detecting, assessing, understanding, and preventing adverse drug reactions (ADRs). In Algeria, pharmacovigilance has progressively evolved within the healthcare system, particularly following the establishment of the national pharmacovigilance framework under the supervision of the Ministry of Health and the National Center for Pharmacovigilance and Materiovigilance. However, several structural and operational challenges continue to affect its efficiency.
Objective: This study aims to provide an overview of the current state of pharmacovigilance in Algeria, highlighting its regulatory framework, reporting practices, major challenges, and future development opportunities.
Methods: A narrative review was conducted based on national regulatory texts, official reports, scientific publications, and data from institutional pharmacovigilance activities in Algeria. The analysis focused on the organization of the national pharmacovigilance system, spontaneous reporting mechanisms, healthcare professionals’ involvement, and integration with international pharmacovigilance networks.
Results: The Algerian pharmacovigilance system has shown significant progress in terms of institutional organization and regulatory reinforcement. Algeria is an active member of the World Health Organization (WHO) Programme for International Drug Monitoring and contributes to international ADR databases. Despite this progress, underreporting remains a major concern, mainly due to insufficient awareness among healthcare professionals, limited training, lack of digitalized reporting systems, and weak pharmacovigilance culture in clinical practice. Recent regulatory reforms and increased awareness initiatives have contributed to improving reporting rates and strengthening drug safety surveillance.
Conclusion: Pharmacovigilance in Algeria is undergoing a dynamic development phase, with promising regulatory and institutional advancements. Strengthening healthcare professionals’ training, promoting a reporting culture, implementing digital pharmacovigilance tools, and enhancing collaboration between stakeholders are essential to optimize drug safety monitoring and improve public health outcomes.
Keywords: Pharmacovigilance; Algeria; Adverse Drug Reactions; Drug Safety; Public Health; Regulatory System.
