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The public is being urged to report the suspected side effects of medicines on the tenth anniversary of Med Safety Week. The Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) is one of 130 partner organisations worldwide taking part in the campaign, which runs from November 3-9. The HPRA received almost 8,000 notifications of suspected side effects in 2024. The regulator is strongly encouraging the reporting of such cases, as it says each additional report contributes valuable information that can help ensure the highest standards of safety for everyone. “When someone takes the time to report a suspected side effect to the HPRA, they help strengthen our collective understanding of medicine safety,” said Dr Darren Scully, manager in the HPRA’s medicine safety monitoring department. “This helps ensure we can optimise how we manage risks of side effects and can enhance the benefits of medicines for patients. By raising awareness through #MedSafetyWeek, we want more people to know that their report matters.” In recent years a considerable proportion of complaints around alleged side effects have been related to COVID-19 vaccines. Up to September 30 this year the HPRA received a total of 21,409 reports describing suspected adverse reactions linked to the jabs, of which 2,844 were received in 2022, 399 were received in 2023, 212 were received in 2024, and 70 were received in 2025. The majority of reports – more than 14,000 – related to mRNA vaccines, while almost 7,000 related to the AstraZeneca and Janssen inoculations. HPV vaccines have also been the source of alleged adverse reaction reports. Between 2006 and the end of 2024, PRA has received 1581 reports of suspected side effects associated with the use of these HPV vaccines, which include Gardasil, Gardasil 9, Cervarix, as well as some reports for which the brand of vaccine is not known. Each notification is carefully reviewed. Reports of side effects associated with any vaccine or medicine does not mean that the product cause an adverse reaction. Reports may describe coincidental events that occurred after a medicine was started but would have happened even if it had not been taken. “By reporting suspected side effects, you and I have the power to make medicines safer for everyone. Taking the time to report could help protect someone else. It’s not only doctors, pharmacists, or regulators; everyone can contribute. That is a core message of this campaign: that we can all play a role in medicines safety,” added Dr Scully. Suspected side effects can be reported via the HPRA website: hpra.ie/report.
