6. Direct healthcare professional communication. Communicating medicines safety information directly to healthcare professionals: an introduction to DHPC

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) and European Union (EU) member states regulatory authorities share the responsibility to communicate safety information on medicinal products after their marketing authorisation to patients and healthcare professionals. As healthcare professionals play an essential role in disseminating safety information, direct healthcare professional communication (DHPC) is the primary way of communicating ‘new or emerging safety information’.