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The article presents information on the World Health Organisation (WHO) programme. The programme was established in 1968 as a pilot project with the participation of 10 countries that had organised national pharmacovigilance systems at that time. The intent was to develop international collaboration to make it easier to detect rare adverse drug reactions not revealed during clinical trials. The database of the WHO Programme is a unique reference source used in many different situations. When a national centre receives the first report of an unfamiliar drug-reaction association the WHO database is often consulted to find out whether a similar observation has been made elsewhere in the world.

The article uses the term "data mining" for any computer method of automatic and continuous analysis of data, which turns it into useful information. Although data mining of drug utilisation information, and other relevant data sets such as those relating to poisoning, will add greatly to pharmacovigilance. In principle the Uppsala Monitoring Centre (UMC) has been doing data mining since the mid 1970s, using an early relational database. As with many automated systems, the relational database to a very large extent replicated a manual approach. From the UMC database, countries in the WHO Programme for international Drug Monitoring have been provided with information, reworked by the UMC, on the summarised case data that is submitted from each national centre.

Discusses the link of adverse drug reactions to major morbidity causing death in some cases. Capability of drugs to modify fundamental biological processes; Establishment of a number of hospital-based programs for monitoring the occurrence of reactions; Adverse effects of prescribed drug regimens.

Discusses the use of drug or substance against the guidance of health professionals. Concerns on the negative health effects of psycho-active medicinal products; Differential way to distinguish non-dependence producing drugs from harmful use; Consequences of down-regulation of pharmacological receptors.

Focuses on the content of the book on clinical pharmacology and pharmacotherapy. Guidance on how to treat patients; Concern on the socioeconomic impact of irrational prescribing and of medical errors; Interests on drug safety and the balance between benefits and risks of medications.