The World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre for Advocacy and Training in Pharmacovigilance (WHO-CC), University of Ghana, would host the second African Society of Pharmacovigilance Conference in Accra.
The conference being organised in conjunction with the Food and Drugs Authority of Ghana (FDA), would take place in Accra from November 25 to November 27.
Ghana was selected as the host country for the prestigious event in view of the country’s remarkable leadership in the safety of medicines and vaccines.
Dubbed: “ASoP-2015,” the conference would be held at the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel in Accra on the theme: “Pharmacovigilance in Africa: New Methods, New Opportunities, New Challenges.”
“The experience of the Ebola outbreak and other public health issues makes it imperative for African countries to develop robust systems to ensure the safety and efficacy of all medicines and vaccines that are used,” says Ms Haggar Hilda Ampadu, Deputy-Director of the WHO-CC and Chairperson of the Organising Committee for ASoP.
“Africa is a continent endowed with riches. What is lacking is the development of an African-centred approach towards the problems of the day. We have the knowledge, we have the skills, we know the tools: what we need is to work together as Africans for Africa and in Africa,” Ms Ampadu added.
More than 500 participants from Africa and beyond are expected to take part in the conference.
Development partners including the World Health Organisation, the World Bank, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, USAID, the Uppsala Monitoring Centre, ECOWAS, the West African Health Organisation and the East African Community would all take part in the conference.
The local organisers are Creative Trends, a Ghanaian company with experience in organising global scientific conferences.
The WHO-CC is an African Union/NEPAD Regional Centre of Regulatory Excellence in Pharmacovigilance.
It was designated a WHO Collaborating Centre in 2009 to give leadership and technical support to African countries and has been responsible for the setting up of safety monitoring systems in more than 30 African countries.
Further information is available at www.who-pvafrica .org or contact us atinfo@who-pvafrica.org. Telephone: +233-302-268-746 / +233-289-014-000
The FDA is the National Drug Regulatory Agency for Ghana. Established in 1992, the FDA is responsible for ensuring public health and safety by regulating all foods, medicines, vaccines and household chemicals.
The Ghana National Centre for Pharmacovigilance is located within the FDA and is responsible for monitoring the safety of all medical products in Ghana. It is also an African Union/NEPAD Regional Centre of Regulatory Excellence in both Pharmacovigilance as well as Clinical Trials Oversight.
More details could be obtained from www.fdaghana.gov.gh
ASoP is a professional society that brings together stakeholders in pharmacovigilance in Africa.
It is the African Chapter of the International Society of Pharmacovigilance and has the aim of improving the art and science of pharmacovigilance through research, meetings, collaborations, education and information sharing.
More details could be obtained from www.isoponline.org
Source: GNA
