Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40900408›Full record

ArticleDrug safety2025

Implementation and Results of Active Vaccine Safety Monitoring During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the UK: A Regulatory Perspective.

Jenny Wong, Katherine Donegan, Kendal Harrison, Tahira Jan, Alison Cave, Phil Tregunno

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Drug safety, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Jenny WongMedicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), Safety and Surveillance, 10 South Colonnade, Canary Wharf, London, E14 4PU, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0006-1265-0969
Katherine DoneganMedicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), Safety and Surveillance, 10 South Colonnade, Canary Wharf, London, E14 4PU, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3488-9130
Kendal HarrisonMedicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), Safety and Surveillance, 10 South Colonnade, Canary Wharf, London, E14 4PU, UK.
Tahira JanMedicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), Safety and Surveillance, 10 South Colonnade, Canary Wharf, London, E14 4PU, UK.
Alison CaveMedicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), Safety and Surveillance, 10 South Colonnade, Canary Wharf, London, E14 4PU, UK.
Phil TregunnoMedicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), Safety and Surveillance, 10 South Colonnade, Canary Wharf, London, E14 4PU, UK. phil.tregunno@mhra.gov.uk.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionYellow Card Vaccine Monitor (YCVM) was established by the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to facilitate active monitoring of adverse drug reactions following COVID-19 vaccination and further characterise safety in populations under-represented in clinical trials.

objectiveThis study explored the profile of individuals registered to the YCVM platform and the suspected adverse drug reactions reported following a COVID-19 vaccination on this data platform.

methodsUsing a stratified random selection approach, individuals were invited to register and actively contacted to seek further information on the vaccines received and adverse reactions they experienced. Exploratory analyses were conducted to characterise the demographics of individuals registered in the YCVM, and to summarise the adverse drug reaction data reported by recruited individuals between November 2020 and December 2022. Detailed analyses of the sub-cohort of pregnant and breastfeeding females were conducted to characterise these individuals. Data for two suspected adverse reactions, menstrual disorders and tinnitus, were extracted and analysed to demonstrate how YCVM supported regulatory assessment of these safety signals which originally arose from other data sources.

results36,604 individuals registered, with 30,281 reporting vaccination. Median (interquartile range) follow-up was 184 days (14-367). Demographics of the recruited cohort reflected the vaccinated population and timing of invitations. 15,764 (52.1%) of those reporting vaccination reported experiencing at least one adverse reaction. However, nearly all were expected acute reactions and 4134 (13.7%) reported an event considered medically serious. The data raised no safety concerns in pregnant and breastfeeding females. Reporting of menstrual disorders appeared stimulated by media interest, as seen in spontaneous reporting systems. Data on the incidence of tinnitus were used to support regulatory action on this signal.

conclusionActive surveillance using the YCVM provided a complementary data source for monitoring the safety of COVID-19 vaccines. However, further efforts are needed to recruit ethnic minorities. The technology developed has enhanced regulatory vigilance options and could be valuable in the future for actively monitoring the safety of innovative products used in small populations.

Indexed as

Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting SystemsCOVID-19COVID-19 VaccinesDrug-Related Side Effects and Adverse ReactionsAdolescentAdultAgedChildFemaleHumansInfantMaleMiddle AgedPregnancyUnited KingdomVaccinationCOVID-19 Vaccines

Identifiers

PMID40900408
PMCPMC12605443

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.