Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jul 22, 2025

Virgin Islanders told to report medicine side-effects, reactions

Virgin Islanders told to report medicine side-effects, reactions

The Virgin Islands (VI) Ministry of Health and Social Development is encouraging persons to report suspected side effects of medicines as the VI joins over 80 countries in observing med safety week from November 7 to 13, 2022.

Chief of Drugs and Pharmaceutical Services, Mrs. Gracia Wheatley-Smith said the week’s focus will centre around the promotion of pharmacovigilance and reporting.

Mrs. Wheatley-Smith said medicines help but they can also harm, therefore, it is important that all users of pharmaceuticals monitor themselves closely when using prescription medicines and report any experienced side or adverse reactions.

She also noted that regulators operate systems to detect and analyse reported side effects and use this information to implement actions that can prevent harm to future patients.

The Chief of Drugs said a side effect is ‘any unintended effect of a pharmaceutical related to the pharmacological properties of the drug’ and an adverse drug reaction (ADR) is ‘a response to a medicine which is harmful, very unpleasant and unintended, and which occurs at doses normally used in man’.


Chief of Drugs and Pharmaceutical Services, Mrs. Gracia Wheatley-Smith said the week’s focus will centre around the promotion of pharmacovigilance and reporting.

Side effects can be reported via email or telephone

The community is urged to report any side effect or ADR to the Chief of Drugs and Pharmaceutical Services via telephone at 468-9850 or email at grwheatley-smith@gov.vg.

“These experiences, Mrs. Wheatley-Smith said can be fatal, life-threatening, permanently and significantly disabling, may require a hospital visit or may prolong hospitalization, can cause congenital anomaly and may require intervention to prevent permanent impairment or damage.

According to the Chief of Drugs, reporting side effects and ADRs help to improve the safety of medicines for all users and in some cases can result in better-tailored prescribing advice by doctors.

“By reporting side effects and ADRs patients will be actively participating in identifying emerging safety issues with medicines, so that the ministry can take actions when necessary and protect you and others from harm,” Mrs. Wheatley-Smith said.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
×