National Poison Data System

The National Poison Data System (NPDS) is the only comprehensive poisoning surveillance database in the United States.

NPDS is an invaluable resource for product safety managers, medical directors, regulatory affairs directors and other industry decision makers. Maintained by the American association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC), NPDS contains detailed toxicological information on more than 18 million poison exposures reported to U.S. poison centers.

That includes more than 2 million reports to poison centers for 1995 alone, an estimated 83 percent of all poison exposures reported to poison centers in the U.S.

NPDS Data

NPDS is a uniform data set of U.S. poison centers cases. Categories of information include the patient, the caller, the exposure, the substance(s), clinical toxicity, treatment, and medical outcome. The NPDS database was initiated in 1985, and provides a baseline of more than 36.2 million cases through 2003.

Real-time toxicovigilance was initiated in 2003 with continuous uploading of new cases from all poison centers to a central database. Real-time toxicovigilance using general and specific approaches is systematically run against NPDS, further increasing the potential utility of poison center experiences as a means of early identification of potential public health threats.

NPDS allows users to:

• Analyze safety data before deaths and injuries occur, thereby minimizing the risk of product liability suits or regulatory action and maximizing consumer safety
• Monitor product safety by comparing individual brands to product categories to provide an early opportunity to consider product reformulation or packaging.Conduct post marketing surveillance of newly approved or newly marketed products.
• Demonstrate product safety to regulatory agencies when facing proposed regulatory action, or to consumer groups seeking safer products.
• Demonstrate safety of pharmaceutical agents when applying for a switch from prescription to over-the-counter (OTC) status.
• Satisfy regulatory reporting requirements.
• Demonstrate product safety in product liability lawsuits, or relative safety compared to other products or product classes.
• Support new drug applications using data from products with similar structure or products with similar delivery vehicles.
• Replace some of the animal testing which has become routine for new products.Save lives, prevent poisonings and be a model corporation.

Regulatory Agency Use of NPDS

Key regulatory agencies rely on NPDS data including the Food and Drug Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Drug Enforcement Agency. NPDS data have been used to support or refute proposed regulatory actions such as reformulations, packaging changes, use of child resist closures, OTC switches, new approvals, product registrations and scheduling.

For more information about purchasing NPDS data contact theAAPCC Central Office at 703-894-1858.