Everyone can contribute to drug safety: by reporting suspected side effects, we can actively help to make medicines safer for everyone. That is the core message of the #MedSafetyWeek campaign, which is now in its tenth year.

The Federal Office for Safety in Health Care (BASG) is one of 130 partner organisations worldwide participating in #MedSafetyWeek, which runs from 3 to 9 November 2025. Together, we are encouraging patients and healthcare professionals to report any suspected side effects - because every report can help protect others.

Medicines save lives and improve the health of millions of people worldwide. However, sometimes they can also cause unintended side effects. By reporting side effects, the relevant regulatory authorities can take action to make medicines safer. Regulatory authorities around the world, such as the BASG, use adverse reaction reports from patients and healthcare professionals to monitor the safety of medicines and respond to potential risks.

Unfortunately, research shows that only around 5-10% of all suspected adverse reactions are reported. "This means that we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg and that it can sometimes take longer to identify important safety issues. By raising awareness as part of #MedSafetyWeek, we would therefore like to make more people aware of the importance of reporting, especially this week," says Dr Günter Waxenecker, Head of Business Unit at AGES Medical Market Surveillance and Head of Procedure at the Federal Office for Safety in Health Care (BASG).

Frequent reasons why side effects of medicinal products are not reported are, on the one hand, simply ignorance of the fact that side effects can be reported at all, and on the other hand, if the possibility of reporting is known, the assumption that this is not important, or alternatively, simply convenience or forgetfulness.

For this reason, the #MedSafetyWeek campaign was launched in 2016 to raise awareness of why, how and where adverse drug reactions should be reported. On its tenth anniversary in 2025, #MedSafetyWeek will be the biggest yet: 131 organisations in 117 countries have committed to spreading the campaign's message in more than 62 languages.

"By reporting suspected side effects, together we have the opportunity to make medicines safer for everyone. By speaking up yourself, you can also help others. Not only doctors, pharmacists or the regulatory authorities, but every individual can make a contribution. The core message of this campaign is: The safety of medicines starts with you," emphasises Günter Waxenecker.

Reporting options for suspected side effects

In Austria, all reports are thoroughly evaluated and checked by the BASG in order to take the necessary and correct steps to protect medicinal product users in Austria. Since 2018, there have been over 290,000 reports(statistics on side effects - BASG). Patients can report side effects to the BASG voluntarily - and healthcare professionals (e.g. doctors, pharmacists...) are legally obliged to do so. It does not matter whether the reporter can prove a causal link between the adverse reaction and the medicinal product.

It is sufficient if such a connection is considered possible, e.g. due to the temporal proximity or because another cause (co-medication, underlying diseases, etc.) is not recognisable. An adverse drug reaction report can be submitted quickly and easily electronically using the electronic reporting portal at https://www.basg.gv.at/marktbeobachtung/meldewesen/nebenwirkungen.

Austria supports the global #MedSatefyWeek campaign

The #MedSafetyWeek is an international campaign led by the Uppsala Monitoring Centre (UMC), the World Health Organization's (WHO) collaborating centre for international pharmacovigilance, and is supported by the members of the International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory Authorities (ICMRA) and a number of national and international organisations with a strong interest in medicines safety. From 3 to 9 November 2025, anyone can help spread the #MedSafetyWeek message by using the #hashtag and sharing posts from the BASG and other participating organisations on social media. For more information and free social media materials, visit the campaign website.

This year, the Ministry of Health, the Chamber of Pharmacists, the Medical Association, the Medical University of Vienna and AGES are joining forces with the BASG to promote the safe use of medicines. The health organisations are therefore jointly appealing to people to report suspected side effects in order to make medicines safer for everyone. By reporting adverse drug reactions, the drug authorities can take measures worldwide, for example by changing the package leaflet or implementing risk-minimising measures. Reporting adverse drug reactions takes very little time and can also be easily done electronically in a reporting portal provided by the BASG. All reports are treated in strict confidence and are subject to data protection.

The "Be a Drug Superhero!" poster with QR code, specially designed for the current campaign, also provides direct and easy access to the adverse drug reaction reporting portal and is available for free use! - see press release: #MedSafetyWeek celebrates its 10th anniversary - Together for safe medicines

Queries (technical):
Dr Christoph Baumgärtel, Tel.: +43 505 55-36004
Email: christoph.baumgaertel@ages.at

Queries (for media):
Communications Management, Tel.: +43 505 55-25000
E-mail: presse-basg@basg.gv.at