Pharmacovigilance has grown significantly in recent years and its importance in the healthcare system has been recognized worldwide. There are considerable issues which need to be addressed to ensure the safety of medicines and medical devices.

Medical professionals play an important role in the global pharmacovigilance system. They require substantial understanding and expertise in the field of drug, vaccine and device safety which will successfully contribute to this area through early recognition, management, and reporting of the drug and device safety issues. It is important that medical professionals should be formally trained in the pharmacovigilance. They should possess a combination of training and skills in this area. This sector offers excellent career opportunities for the medical professionals.

Regulatory bodies such as the USFDA and EMEA are intensifying safety regulations, thereby boosting the adoption rates of pharmacovigilance systems by pharmaceutical companies.

Several countries, including India are in the process of implementing stringent regulations for adoption of pharmacovigilance. There is significant potential for outsourcing and off shoring for every pharmaceutical and medical device company. Large numbers of global drug and device companies have starting off shoring their pharmacovigilance activities to the markets like India. In a typical pharmacovigilance department or specialized Pharmacovigilance company, there are several entry level positions for medical doctors, viz. Drug Safety Physician, Medical Reviewer, and Safety Scientist, and this leads to higher positions over the years at fast pace.