ABSTRACT
Bahri et al discuss the International Society of Pharmacovigilance's (ISoP) Special Interest Group on Medicinal Product Risk Communication (CommSIG). ISoP dedicated a range of activities to communication about the risks and safe use of medicines in the decade before creating the CommSIG, including a pre-conference training course in Tianjin in 2014. Establishing the CommSIG also built on a forward-looking attitude to changes in medicine, communication technology, patient expectations, and societies overall. It was also recognized that the multidisciplinary approach to communication would support reaching out to patient groups, healthcare, medicine information and media professionals, and experts from the communication, social, healthcare and data sciences. The nine founding members of the CommSIG published its background and aspirations in ISoP's official journal, Drug Safety.
ABSTRACT
In the context of emerging COVID-19 virus variants, trends of vaccine nationalism, and multiple vaccine supply challenges, COVID-19 vaccine related uncertainties and challenges continue. Additionally, confidence in new COVID-19 vaccines is highly variable, with minority communities generally less trusting of not only the new vaccines, but also those who produce them and the governments buying and recommending them. How governments handle the COVID-19 response will be a key influencer of public confidence in and acceptance of COVID vaccination.