FEDEFARMA urges patients to ask questions to improve medication safety

To mark World Patient Safety Day, the Central American and Caribbean Federation of Pharmaceutical Laboratories (FEDEFARMA) has urged the public to use questioning as a tool to ensure treatment safety. Fernando Vizquerra, FEDEFARMA's executive director, noted that the region faces risks such as self-medication, improper storage, and purchasing medicines through informal channels.

This year, the World Health Organization (WHO) is focusing on “safe care for non-communicable diseases,” aiming to strengthen diagnostic accuracy and medication safety. Medical experts from AstraZeneca and Merck emphasized that patients have both the right and responsibility to understand their treatments, including administration methods, expected timelines for improvement, and how to manage adverse effects.