Understanding the FDA's Medication Safety Initiatives

Course overview

In 2022 over 6.7 billion prescriptions were dispensed (Matej Mikulic, 2023, September 15). This number increases each year. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and its Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) agency is responsible for approving, monitoring, educating, and evaluating the safety and effectiveness evaluation of both prescription and over-the counter drugs as well as medical devices. This course presents an overview of the FDA's history, its current role in safety monitoring, drug effectiveness, and supply of medications in the United States. The agency maintains many different databases and publications related to drug safety and availability which are available to both the healthcare professionals and consumers. As healthcare providers, it is critical to understand many of these resources and to know which ones are applicable to your profession. This course provides an overview of many of the important resources that the FDA provides as well as how to access the information, how to report concerns and how to stay current as the landscape of drug availability continually changes in the United States.