Reflections, operational lessons, and practical insights from a pharmacovigilance inspection: a case example of organizational strategies for medical safety readiness

Background: Pharmacovigilance (PV) inspections are critical regulatory assessments that evaluate the robustness and compliance of a company’s drug safety system. Despite their significance, there is limited published guidance on how organizations—particularly Medical Safety functions—can prepare ope...

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Main Authors: Tarek A. Hammad, Sasan Sabrdaran, Hesham Aboshady, Raquel Rogers, Jean-Marie Heim, Kim Bullano, Tatiana Ishida
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2025-08-01
Series:Therapeutic Advances in Drug Safety
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/20420986251363378
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author Tarek A. Hammad
Sasan Sabrdaran
Hesham Aboshady
Raquel Rogers
Jean-Marie Heim
Kim Bullano
Tatiana Ishida
author_facet Tarek A. Hammad
Sasan Sabrdaran
Hesham Aboshady
Raquel Rogers
Jean-Marie Heim
Kim Bullano
Tatiana Ishida
author_sort Tarek A. Hammad
collection DOAJ
description Background: Pharmacovigilance (PV) inspections are critical regulatory assessments that evaluate the robustness and compliance of a company’s drug safety system. Despite their significance, there is limited published guidance on how organizations—particularly Medical Safety functions—can prepare operationally for such inspections. Objectives: To share practical, experience-based insights and organizational strategies for inspection readiness, execution, and follow-up, based on a recent large-scale European Medicines Agency PV inspection. Design: Descriptive case-based manuscript outlining the stepwise activities undertaken before, during, and after a regulatory PV inspection, with a focus on Medical Safety coordination. Methods: An internally coordinated approach was implemented, including preparatory meetings, document request management, cross-functional mock inspections, role assignments, and communication planning. A structured system was established for Medical Safety responses involving on-site and remote collaboration among safety leaders. Results: The inspection was successfully completed. The coordinated system enabled timely, consistent, and quality-controlled responses. Visual tools, including timelines and workflows, supported operational efficiency and stakeholder alignment. Post-inspection debriefs further informed process improvements across Medical Safety functions. Conclusion: This manuscript provides a practical, case-based framework for PV teams to approach regulatory inspections with strategic foresight and cross-functional coordination. The experience shared can serve as a useful reference, particularly for Medical Safety professionals and organizations seeking to strengthen inspection readiness and compliance operations.
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spelling doaj-art-57955dc483eb4a06abacb4afe02e8fff2025-08-20T04:02:41ZengSAGE PublishingTherapeutic Advances in Drug Safety2042-09942025-08-011610.1177/20420986251363378Reflections, operational lessons, and practical insights from a pharmacovigilance inspection: a case example of organizational strategies for medical safety readinessTarek A. HammadSasan SabrdaranHesham AboshadyRaquel RogersJean-Marie HeimKim BullanoTatiana IshidaBackground: Pharmacovigilance (PV) inspections are critical regulatory assessments that evaluate the robustness and compliance of a company’s drug safety system. Despite their significance, there is limited published guidance on how organizations—particularly Medical Safety functions—can prepare operationally for such inspections. Objectives: To share practical, experience-based insights and organizational strategies for inspection readiness, execution, and follow-up, based on a recent large-scale European Medicines Agency PV inspection. Design: Descriptive case-based manuscript outlining the stepwise activities undertaken before, during, and after a regulatory PV inspection, with a focus on Medical Safety coordination. Methods: An internally coordinated approach was implemented, including preparatory meetings, document request management, cross-functional mock inspections, role assignments, and communication planning. A structured system was established for Medical Safety responses involving on-site and remote collaboration among safety leaders. Results: The inspection was successfully completed. The coordinated system enabled timely, consistent, and quality-controlled responses. Visual tools, including timelines and workflows, supported operational efficiency and stakeholder alignment. Post-inspection debriefs further informed process improvements across Medical Safety functions. Conclusion: This manuscript provides a practical, case-based framework for PV teams to approach regulatory inspections with strategic foresight and cross-functional coordination. The experience shared can serve as a useful reference, particularly for Medical Safety professionals and organizations seeking to strengthen inspection readiness and compliance operations.https://doi.org/10.1177/20420986251363378
spellingShingle Tarek A. Hammad
Sasan Sabrdaran
Hesham Aboshady
Raquel Rogers
Jean-Marie Heim
Kim Bullano
Tatiana Ishida
Reflections, operational lessons, and practical insights from a pharmacovigilance inspection: a case example of organizational strategies for medical safety readiness
Therapeutic Advances in Drug Safety
title Reflections, operational lessons, and practical insights from a pharmacovigilance inspection: a case example of organizational strategies for medical safety readiness
title_full Reflections, operational lessons, and practical insights from a pharmacovigilance inspection: a case example of organizational strategies for medical safety readiness
title_fullStr Reflections, operational lessons, and practical insights from a pharmacovigilance inspection: a case example of organizational strategies for medical safety readiness
title_full_unstemmed Reflections, operational lessons, and practical insights from a pharmacovigilance inspection: a case example of organizational strategies for medical safety readiness
title_short Reflections, operational lessons, and practical insights from a pharmacovigilance inspection: a case example of organizational strategies for medical safety readiness
title_sort reflections operational lessons and practical insights from a pharmacovigilance inspection a case example of organizational strategies for medical safety readiness
url https://doi.org/10.1177/20420986251363378
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