Abstract

PHARMACOVIGILANCE: A DIRE NEED IN UNANI SYSTEM OF MEDICINE

M. Nafees Khan*, Mumtaz Ahmad, Jamal Akhtar and M. A. Khan

Abstract

Unani system of medicine, although originated in Greece, is one of the recognized systems of medicine in India. In the age of advance technology, scientific progress, consumer awareness and the advent of evidence based medicine, there is inadequate genuine clinical trial evidence supporting the efficacy and safety of Unani drugs, except that this system is practiced since thousands of years. Although, the technical term “Pharmacovigilance” does not feature in Unani texts, the spirit of pharmacovigilance is vibrant and is emphasized repeatedly in all major texts. The major goals of pharmacovigilance, namely to improve patient care and safety in relation to drug use and thus promote rational drug use on patients. The use of Unani medicine is popular in India and in recent time has become accepted in other countries. Now in this era of globalization certain concerns are raised in regards to their safety. Unani system of medicine has their own principles, has their own pharmacopoeia, but is practised in the country as OTC drugs and without an authentic prescription. Inclusion of Unani medicines in pharmacovigilence system is becoming increasingly important given the growing use of Unani products globally. Pharmacovigilence is an important tool to analyse the drug effect particularly its side effects, if any. This paper outline the need of pharmacovigilance, and the implementation of National pharmacovigilence program for Unani drugs.

Keywords: Pharmacovigilance, Adverse drug reaction, Unani Medicine.