While the EU pushes ahead with its discussions of tighter rules on pharmacovigilance, some help has been announced for research into adverse drug reactions.

At the end of July, the EU invited proposals for research into half a dozen specific areas. Three of these concern long-term effects: of methylphenidate on children and young adults being treated for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; of monoclonal antibodies as immunomodulators; and of adverse skeletal effects of bisphosphonates.

The other fields cover medicine use in pregnancy (investigating the design of effective pregnancy prevention programs and recommendations for safe use in pregnancy); suicidal behavior in relation to antidepressants, antipsychotics, varenicline, and montelukast; and the safety aspects of antipsychotics in demented patients. 

Further information can be found at 

http://cordis.europa.eu/fetch?CALLER=FP7_NEWS&ACTION=D&RCN=31090

http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/dc/index.cfm?fuseaction=UserSite.CooperationDetailsCallPage&call_id=278

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European Union focuses on adverse drug reaction research.