Pharmacovigilance Center

The Pharmacovigilance Center (PVC) is an enterprise-level drug safety center supporting the Military Health System (MHS) and all Service branches. The PVC provides pharmacovigilance and pharmacoepidemiology analysis and develops best prescribing practices to reduce harm and improve outcomes. Our goal is to develop risk mitigation strategies to prevent adverse drug events which can occur when patients take medications. 

Vision

To be the premier organization for the MHS promoting excellence in medication prescribing practices and reducing preventable adverse drug experiences for all our beneficiaries.

Mission

Provide data-driven evidence on medication safety, effectiveness, and best prescribing practices that serve as force multipliers directly contributing to keeping the warfighters and other beneficiaries healthy through policy guidance, strategic communication, and education worldwide.

Our History

DoD Health Affairs Information Management/Information Technology funded a Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) project under the management of the Telemedicine and Advanced Technologies Research Center (TATRC) of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command. The objective was to determine proof of concept for a pharmacovigilance software tool.
The Pharmacovigilance Defense Application System (PVDAS) was certified under the Defense Business Transformation process and has been successfully used by the pilot Pharmacovigilance Center (PVC).
TSG Schoomaker directed that the Army PVC be formally established, staffed, and resourced as an organizational component of the Army Medical Command.

Our Objectives

  • Identify, analyze, recommend and provide education on best prescribing practices in active duty and non-active duty beneficiaries, and in pregnant and non-pregnant patients to minimize medication harm and improve outcomes
  • Perform research studies on safety and/or effectiveness of medications that are widely prescribed, have serious outcomes or impact readiness of our troops
  • Support quality and safety metrics and drug safety studies in collaboration with other MHS and non-MHS organizations
  • Serve as authoritative resource for safe medication use, pharmacovigilance and pharmacoepidemiology and represent the Department of Defense (DoD) to national drug safety initiatives
  • Develop standardized medication safety surveillance and analytic methods for drug safety issues and develop and maintain the Pharmacovigilance Defense Application System (PVDAS), a web-based semi-automated surveillance and analytical tool and data mart