What does "pharmacovigilance" refer to?

Pharmacovigilance refers to the science and activities related to the detection, assessment, understanding, and prevention of adverse effects or any other drug-related problems. This discipline focuses on monitoring the safety of medications after they have been approved for use. It plays a critical role in ensuring that the benefits of a drug continue to outweigh any risks associated with it over time.

By systematically collecting and analyzing data on adverse drug reactions, pharmacovigilance helps to identify potential safety issues and facilitates timely responses from regulatory authorities, healthcare providers, and manufacturers. This can lead to updates in labeling, changes in usage guidelines, or even withdrawal of a drug from the market if necessary.

The other options refer to different aspects of pharmaceutical practice. Those include investigating new drug therapies, which is an essential step in the drug development process, drug manufacturing processes focusing on production, and the regulation of pharmaceutical marketing, which ensures compliance with laws and ethical standards. However, none of these elements capture the essence of pharmacovigilance as effectively as monitoring medication effects does.