05.01.1 Adverse Drug Effects

Adverse drug effects are also known as adverse drug reactions, or side effects of drugs. The World Health Organization (WHO) definition for this is “a response to a drug that is noxious and unintended and occurs at doses normally used in man for the prophylaxis, diagnosis or therapy of disease, or for modification of physiological function”. This means that for the same plasma concentrations, both beneficial and adverse effects may be observed.