Offer
The Department of Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology advises other departments and clinics on drug therapy and on conducting studies with drugs.
We have laboratories for the detection and quantification of drugs in the blood and provide recommendations for dose adjustments (therapeutic drug monitoring).
We maintain an IT-supported advisory service on adverse drug reactions (ADR) and participate in the Swiss pharmacovigilance system.
DrugSafety@USB - Program for drug safety in the USB
Medicines play a major role in everyday hospital life. However, depending on the study, up to 15% of hospital patients experience problems with a drug during their hospitalization (Adverse Drug Event, ADE). Up to three quarters of these ADEs are considered preventable.
The DrugSafety@USB program, which emerged from the project of the same name initiated in 2013, is used to ensure drug safety. Since then, the corresponding strategy concept adopted by the hospital management has been gradually implemented based on 12 principles for improving drug safety at the USB.
Drug information service
The Drug Information Service of Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology answers patient-related questions regarding the use of medications and pharmacotherapy-related problems.
These include, among others:
- Interactions
- Pharmacotherapy during pregnancy and breastfeeding
- Dose adjustment for renal dysfunction
An application for an expert opinion can be submitted for general and extensive, highly complex issues.
Depending on the question and complexity, the inquirer will receive an oral or written answer.
For further information, please contact our doctor on duty.
Phone +41 61 328 77 43
Regional Pharmacovigilance Center (RPVZ)
The Regional Pharmacovigilance Center (RPVZ) of the Department of Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology processes spontaneous reports of adverse drug reactions (ADR) together with the National Pharmacovigilance Center of the Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products Swissmedic.
The RPVZ is committed to the implementation of the spontaneous reporting system in Switzerland and thus to improving drug safety.
Mandatory reporting of adverse drug reactions in Switzerland
According to the Therapeutic Products Act (Article 59) and the Medicinal Products Ordinance (Article 63), healthcare professionals are obliged to report the occurrence of a serious ADR or an ADR that was previously unknown or insufficiently mentioned in the Information for healthcare professionals of the medicinal product concerned.
Serious ADR is defined as:
- Fatal
- Life-threatening
- Leading to hospitalization or prolongation thereof
- Causing serious or permanent damage
- Medically important (e.g. if one of the above situations could have been avoided by timely medical intervention).
The presumption of a causal relationship is sufficient to report.
A serious ADR must be reported within 15 days of becoming aware of it.
An ADR that occurred some time ago should also be reported.
A non-serious ADR must be reported within 60 days of becoming aware of it.
No obligation to report, but desirable on the part of Swissmedic:
- All ADRs caused by newly authorized medicinal products (registered in Switzerland for < 5 years)
- Unexpected accumulation of an ADR
- Cases of medication errors, misuse, dependence and addiction
Reporting channel for adverse drug reactions in Switzerland
Since January 1, 2021, ADR reports are to be sent directly to the National Pharmacovigilance Center of the Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products Swissmedic:
- preferably via the online reporting portal ElViS (electronic vigilance system)
- alternatively using the ADR reporting form
The National Pharmacovigilance Center uses defined criteria to decide whether the ADR report should be sent to a regional pharmacovigilance center for further processing or whether it should be processed centrally. This procedure is intended to make use of the resources and specialized expertise of the regional pharmacovigilance centers, as they process reports from healthcare professionals in particular that indicate previously unknown or newly assessed risks of a medicinal product.
Contact
Regional Pharmacovigilance Center Basel
Department of Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology
University Hospital
Schanzenstrasse 55
4031 Basel
TDM (Therapeutic Drug Monitoring)
We assess drug concentrations in serum and make dose recommendations.
Doses are calculated using population kinetics programs, some of which we have developed ourselves.
Information TDM
Phone +41 61 328 77 43
Sample acceptance and information on the measured drug concentrations
see Laboratory Medicine
Phone +41 61 265 42 20