Pharmacovigilance is a science to prevent adverse drug reaction (ADR) is a major thought for each country that led to the emergence of various national ADR monitoring centers across the world. All these centers are connected to the single international center at Uppsala, Sweden, established by the WHO. This review presents the history and importance of Pharmacovigilance in present day scenario and also highlights the various methods of reporting or documenting ADRs such as spontaneous drug monitoring, general practice research database (GPRD) and prescription monitoring (PEM). Each method is having pros and cons. Therefore, the only way to improve the role of pharmacovigilance is to educate people regarding its importance in rational drug use. The thalidomide disaster was marked as the era beginning for pharmacovigilance. Such examples from today’s world include the withdrawal of Rosiglitazone and Aprotinin from the market due to their greater ADRs. Only through pharmacovigilance one can ensure that the patient receives right drugs. Lastly, it can be concluded that pharmacovigilance is the necessity of today’s world and it should be brought to the global level.
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