Citizens can use two methods to obtain information about the side effects of medications online. Information can be accessed by visiting the official website of the Ministry of Health's Analytical Expertise Center (www.pharma.az) and using the search function located in the bottom right corner of the page. To do this, enter the trade name of the desired medication in the search field and initiate the search. A new page will appear displaying brief information about the medication. At the end of this page, next to "İçlik vərəqi" (Package Insert), there is a red "Yüklə" (Download) button, allowing users to download the medication's instructions for use (package insert) and review the "əlavə təsirlər" (side effects) section.
Farid Hasanov, head of the Pharmacovigilance department at the Ministry of Health's Analytical Expertise Center, provided this information.
Farid Hasanov stated that this information can also be obtained through the "Elektron Resept" (Electronic Prescription) application: "To do this, you need to download the application. The application can be downloaded through special links for the 'Elektron Resept' system on the official websites of the Ministry of Health (www.sehiyye.gov.az, www.e-health.gov.az), from the Ministry of Health's Analytical Expertise Center website www.pharma.az, by scanning the QR code from stickers posted in pharmacies with your phone, or by searching for 'Reseptim' on 'App Store' and 'Google Play' to easily access the mobile application. In this application, our citizens can find the 'side effects' section of the package insert by searching for any medication in the 'Dərmanlar' (Medications) section and clicking on the 'i' icon located on the right side."
According to him, every medication undergoes preclinical (studies on animals) and clinical (studies on humans) trials before being registered. During these studies, the medication is investigated for its toxicology, efficacy, and safety. Toxicological effects and safety refer to the potential harm the medication may cause to the body (liver, heart, kidneys, etc.): "These assess the risks of the medication. Efficacy refers to the purpose for which each medication is developed. The medication should either treat the disease or alleviate its symptoms. These are considered the benefits of the medication. To register a medication, every pharmaceutical company submits a collection of data obtained from the aforementioned studies to the regulatory body in the field of medications, namely the Ministry of Health's Analytical Expertise Center. The center evaluates and investigates the submitted information through various experts. If, as a result of the investigation, the benefits of the medication are found to outweigh its risks based on the indicated parameters, the medication is registered. Finally, the registered medication enters the country's pharmaceutical market. To ensure the safe use of the medication after registration, the field of pharmacovigilance is involved in the process."