Past events

PROFORMA Project Closure Symposium

After six years, the PROFORMA project came to an end. To celebrate all the achievements and the new doctors within the project, a closure symposium was held in Stockholm, Sweden on 19 December 2024. Representatives from all consortium partners attended the event.

Read more about the closure symposium in this news article.

PhD defence: Christabel Khaemba

On 18 December 2024, Christabel Khaemba successfully defended her thesis titled Pharmacovigilance in Mass Drug Administration for the Control and Elimination of Lymphatic Filariasis in Kenya at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden. Christabel was the last of the six PROFORMA project’s PhD students to defend her thesis.

The 6th PROFORMA Annual Consortium Meeting

Was held 30th January – 3rd February 2023 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Read more about the consortium meeting in this news article.

The 5th PROFORMA Pharmacovigilance training: Risk Management & Communication

The PROFORMA project successfully organized an extensive hybrid pharmacovigilance training program on Risk Management and Communication. This training took place from January 16 to 27, 2023, combining virtual sessions with in-person activities held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The course was organized by Professor Eugene van Puijenbroek from the Netherlands Pharmacovigilance Centre Lareb and facilitated by Professor Eleni Aklilu from Karolinska Institutet and Professor Eyasu Makonnen from CDT-Africa. The course attracted a diverse and dynamic group of participants. These included staff from national medicine regulatory authorities, healthcare professionals, and academic personnel from medical universities across four East African countries: Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda. This diversity enriched the training experience, fostering cross-country learning and collaboration.

The training program encompassed a wide array of topics essential for effective pharmacovigilance. Participants engaged in in-depth lectures, interactive discussions, and hands-on practical exercises. These activities were designed to enhance their understanding of pharmacovigilance principles, with a particular focus on risk management and communication. Effective communication is crucial in pharmacovigilance to ensure that information about the risks and benefits of medicines is conveyed clearly and accurately to healthcare professionals, patients, and the public. The training addressed various communication methods and tools, highlighting the importance of transparency and clarity in maintaining public trust and ensuring patient safety.

Certificates were awarded to participants at the end of the workshop. The knowledge and skills gained during the training are expected to have a lasting impact, contributing to the enhancement of national pharmacovigilance systems and ultimately improving public health outcomes.

This training initiative by the PROFORMA project underscores its commitment to strengthening pharmacovigilance systems in Africa. By building capacity and fostering collaboration among healthcare professionals and regulatory authorities, the project aims to ensure that medicinal products are used safely and effectively, protecting the health and well-being of populations across the region.

The 5th annual PROFORMA consortium meeting

The PROFORMA annual consortium virtual meeting was held during 7 – 11 February 2022. During the annual meeting, each PROFORMA participating partner institutions presented updates on their respective PROFORMA project progress conducted in each country (Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, The Netherlands and Sweden). The PROFORMA PhD students also presented their research project progress including their preliminary findings. The PROFORMA Scientific Advisory Board members attended the annual meeting and gave their comments and recommendations for implementation.

Participants of the 5th annual PROFORMA consortium meeting.

PROFORMA Qualified Person for Pharmacovigilance (QPPV) “training of trainers” workshop

Between 11 and 21 January 2022, the PROFORMA project conducted a “training of trainers” workshop on the Qualified Person Responsible for Pharmacovigilance (QPPV). A QPPV is the main person responsible for handling the marketing authorisation holder’s (MAH) pharmacovigilance system effectively. A total of 45 participants successfully attended the training, which was facilitated by the Netherlands Pharmacovigilance Centre Lareb and Ghana Food and Drugs Authority. The goals of the QPPV training were to:

  • Understand the role and responsibilities of a qualified person for pharmacovigilance working for marketing authorisation holders
  • Understand the nature and purpose of medicinal products safety documentation such as periodic safety update report, periodic benefit/risk evaluation report and risk management plans
  • Understand the purpose and way of working of pharmacovigilance inspections and pharmacovigilance audits
  • Develop a national / country-specific QPPV training and implementation plan

The course participants were staff from national medicine and regulatory authorities (NMRAs): the Ethiopian Food and Drug Authority, Pharmacy and Poisons Board (Kenya), Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority and Tanzania Medicines & Medical Devices Authority and medical universities including Addis Ababa University (Ethiopia), Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (Tanzania), University of Nairobi (Kenya) and University of Rwanda.”

Digital Proforma QPPV training

EDCTP 10th symposium

Amsterdam Institute for Global Health and Development (PAVIA) & Karolinska Institutet (PROFORMA)
“Equity in safety: improving pharmacovigilance of drugs and vaccines in Africa”
20 October 13:00-14:00 (Mozambique time).

Description:
https://proforma.ki.se/wp-content/uploads/sites/100/2021/10/Sponsored-symposium_20Oct-2021.pdf

The 4th Annual PROFORMA consortium meeting

The 4th Annual PROFORMA consortium meeting was held virtually via Zoom between 3rd & 5th February 2021, hosted by Karolinska Institutet. During the three-day event, PROFORMA project progress report and activities conducted under the six project work packages in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda was presented and discussed.

The National pharmacovigilance plan that was developed based on the findings from the baseline assessments, and the strategic interventions introduced so far in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda was presented and discussed.

Results from the active safety and efficacy surveillance of drugs used for the prevention and control of schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminths (in Ethiopia and Rwanda), and lymphatics filariasis (in Kenya and Tanzania) was presented by the PROFORMA PhD students and discussed. Currently 12 postgraduate students (7 PhDs + 5 MSc) are being trained under the PROFORMA project.

Experience was shared by the local university working group about implementation of the PROFORMA undergraduate pharmacovigilance curriculum as standalone module, and the Pharmacovigilance E-learning module for health care professionals.

Online participants on the 4th Annual PROFORMA consortium meeting.

3rd PROFORMA Annual Pharmacovigilance training

The 3rd PROFORMA pharmacovigilance training on “Signal Detection and Management” was held online over a period of five days between 27th January to 12th February 2021. The training was given by Professor Eugene van Puijenbroek and Dr Lean Rolfes from The Netherlands Pharmacovigilance Centre Lareb. The training was delivered through lectures, group assignments and scientific papers discussion, in which the two main methods of signal detection were applied: ‘case series analysis’ and ‘statistical signal detection’.

A total of 48 individuals working at the national medicine regulatory authorities, medical universities, the neglected tropical diseases programs and immunization programs, healthcare professionals and pharmacists from Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda participated in this training. A certificate of attendance was issued to participants after completion of the training.

Online participants on the 3rd PROFORMA Annual Pharmacovigilance training.

 

4th Proforma Annual meeting, February 3-5 2021. Via Zoom.

3rd PROFORMA Annual Meeting, February 2020, Kenya

2nd PROFORMA Annual PV training, February 2020, Kenya

Launching of the PROFORMA Undergraduate PV curriculum

2nd Annual meeting for PROFORMA and PV training May 2019

https://www.igihe.com/ubuzima/article/imwe-mu-miti-ya-mebendazole-na-albendazole-yakuwe-ku-isoko-ry-u-rwanda-kubera

PROFORMA Country Launch in Rwanda December 2018

https://ur.ac.rw/?UR-and-partners-move-to-intensify-pharmacological-and-post-market-surveillance

Please click each country to view past events.

Ethiopia

Kenya

Rwanda

Tanzania

Kick-off event 2018

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