Yellow Card Scheme

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This article is about Human Medicines. For Veterinary Medicines, see the Suspect Adverse Reaction Surveillance Scheme.

The Yellow Card Scheme is a British initiative run by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) to gather information on Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) to medicines. This includes all licensed medicines from medicines and vaccines issued on prescription to medicines bought over the counter from a pharmacist or supermarket. The Scheme also includes all herbal preparations and unlicensed medicines found in cosmetic treatments. ADRs can be reported by anyone; generally healthcare professionals including doctors, pharmacists and nurses, as well as patients and carers.

The sort of ADRs that should be reported are:

ADR's that have caused death or a serious illness
Any ADR, however minor, if associated with a new medicine or one that is under continued monitoring (highlighted in the British National Formulary (BNF) with a ▼ black triangle)
Any ADR, however minor, if associated with a child (under 18 years of age)

Yellow Cards are available from pharmacies and a few are presented near the back of the BNF as tear-off pages.

Reports from the Yellow Card scheme are available from the MHRA website.