Adverse drug reactions in hospitalized pediatric patients of Saudi Arabian University Hospital and impact of pharmacovigilance in reporting ADR

ObjectivesChildren are more vulnerable to ADRs, and this susceptibility is compounded due to hospitalization. There is a lack of local data regarding the potential risk of ADRs in hospitalized pediatric patients. Therefore, this study is designed to identify the frequent nature, severity of adverse drug reactions, drugs implicated and factors influencing ADRs.MethodsIntensive monitoring study of ADRs was done in hospitalized pediatric patients of King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah from January to December 2011, with an analogous retrospective study for the preceding year to determine incidence rate, demographic aspects, causality appraisal, polypharmacy, body organs/systems involved and drugs implicated in ADR. Comparison of the two data was done to determine the impact of pharmacovigilance.ResultsIncidence rate of ADRs in retrospective study was (4.50%) and (8.2%) in prospective study. ADR was more in patients who received 5–6 drugs, which was (15.5%) in retrospective study and (22.1%) in prospective study. Regarding age, it was the highest in patients of 0–1 year of age which was (40.7%) in retrospective study and (38.8%) in prospective study. Anti-infective agents were the most frequently involved in ADR (40.8%) in prospective study and (48.2%) and retrospective study. This study also demonstrated that, there was high susceptibility of the skin to the ADR which was (37%) in retrospective study and (42.9%) in prospective study. None of the ADRs proved to be fatal.ConclusionWell premeditated intensive monitoring approach in pharmacovigilance amplifies the ADR detection, which can persuade healthcare providers into more drug safety.     

Assessing the feasibility of passive surveillance for maternal immunization safety utilizing archival medical records in Kinshasa,Democratic Republic of the Congo

IntroductionSince the establishment of the Global Alignment of Immunization Safety Assessment in pregnancy (GAIA) case definitions in 2015, there has been an urgent need for field validation of pharmacovigilance feasibility in low- and middle-income countries. In this study, we assess the availability and quality of archival medical records at ten randomly selected high-traffic maternity wards in Kinshasa province, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).MethodsA retrospective cohort of mother-child pairs was established from all recorded births taking place at study sites between July 1, 2019 to February 28, 2020 through digitization of medical records. Adverse birth outcomes and maternal vaccination status, where available and linkable, were defined according to GAIA. Basic demographic information on mothers and newborns was also tabulated; birth outcomes were assessed for both intra-site prevalence and a pooled prevalence.ResultsA total of 7,697 mother-newborn pair records were extracted, with 37% of infants screening positive as cases of adverse outcomes. Maternal vaccination information was linkable to 67% of those cases. In total, 51% of stillbirths, 98% of preterm births, 100% of low birthweight infants, 90% of small for gestational age infants, 100% of microcephalic infants, and 0% of neonatal bloodstream infections were classifiable according to GAIA standards following initial screening. Forty percent of case mothers had some indication of tetanus vaccination prior to delivery in their medical records, but only 26% of case mothers met some level of GAIA definition for maternal vaccination during the pregnancy of interest.ConclusionsArchival birth records from delivery centers can be feasibly utilized to screen for stillbirth and maternal tetanus vaccination, and to accurately classify preterm birth, low birthweight, small for gestational age, and congenital microcephaly. Assessment of other neonatal outcomes were limited by inconsistent postpartum infant follow-up and records keeping.     

Safety of AS03-adjuvanted influenza vaccines: A review of the evidence

Clinical and post-licensure data have demonstrated that AS03-adjuvanted inactivated split virion vaccines, many with reduced antigen content, are effective against influenza infection. The objective of this review is to provide a comprehensive assessment of the safety of trivalent seasonal, monovalent pre-pandemic and pandemic AS03-adjuvanted influenza vaccines, based on non-clinical, clinical and post-licensure data in various populations. Non-clinical studies on local tolerance, toxicology and safety pharmacology did not raise any safety concerns with AS03 administered alone or combined with various influenza antigens. Data from clinical trials with over 55,000 vaccinated subjects showed that AS03-adjuvanted influenza vaccines were generally well tolerated and displayed an acceptable safety profile, although the power to detect rare events was limited. Approximately 90 million doses of A/H1N1pdm09 pandemic influenza vaccines (Pandemrix and Arepanrix H1N1) were administered worldwide, which contributed post-licensure data to the collective safety data for AS03-adjuvanted influenza vaccines. An association between Pandemrix and narcolepsy was observed during the A/H1N1pdm09 pandemic, for which a role of a CD4 T cell mimicry sequence in the haemagglutinin protein of A/H1N1pdm09 cannot be excluded. Provided that future AS03-adjuvanted influenza vaccines do not contain this putative mimicry sequence, this extensive safety experience supports the further development and use of AS03-adjuvanted inactivated split virion candidate vaccines against seasonal and pandemic influenza infections.