ABSTRACT
The need for comprehensive systems of postmarketing surveillance in the United Kingdom has been reinforced by the report of the adverse reactions working party. The spontaneous reporting system, although perhaps the most suitable method for detecting rare adverse effects, has several limitations. All residents in the United Kingdom are required to register with a general medical practitioner, and in Tayside all residents so registered are allocated a unique patient identifier – the community health number. In Scotland, all community prescriptions dispensed by pharmacists are sent, on a monthly basis, to the Prescription Pricing Division in Edinburgh to enable pharmacists to be reimbursed under the National Health Service scheme for the cost of the prescription. Since there is no comprehensive prescribing data base, only the drugs of interest can be studied, and this imposes limitations upon the interpretation of the results.
