General Provisions

 

Objectives & Tasks of the Center

 

Article 1

The Center shall work to achieve the following objectives:

1- Monitoring the side effects of drugs in Lebanon.

2- Contributing to the improvement of public health in Lebanon.

3- Raising awareness among the medical and pharmaceutical community about the latest developments in drug side effects.

4- Training fifth- and sixth-year pharmacy students and contributing to the training of pharmacists working in medical fields on the side effects of drugs.

5- Coordinating directly between existing hospitals operating throughout Lebanon and the Ministry of Public Health.

6- Coordinating with the World Health Organization, particularly UPPSALA Center in Sweden, which is responsible for monitoring the side effects of drugs worldwide.

7- Coordinating with all centers around the world specializing in monitoring the side effects of the drug.

 

Center Structure

 

Article 2

The Center reports directly to the dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy at the Lebanese University.

 

Article 3

The structure of the Center consists of:

A. The Director of the Center.

B. The Executive Board.

C. The Scientific Board of the Center.

D. Assistant Director of the Center

E. Administrative Unit

 

Article 4

The executive body consists of:

- The Director of the Center.

Three pharmacists specializing in the fields of Clinical Pharmacy, Toxicology, and Pharmacology, working full-time at the Faculty of Pharmacy.

- A member of the Faculty of Medicine, appointed by the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine.

- A member appointed by the Ministry of Public Health.

 

The members of the Executive Board are appointed by the Dean for a term of two years. In the absence of full-time professors in the department, one of the hourly-paid professors may be appointed.

 

Article 5

The Scientific Committee consists of:

- The Executive Board of the Center.

- A member delegated by the faculties of pharmacy in private universities operating in Lebanon.

 

Article 6

The director of the Center shall be appointed by the President of the Lebanese University based on a proposal from the Dean of the faculty and a recommendation from the members of the Center's executive body for a term of two years, renewable once. The director of the Center should be a full-time teaching staff member and a member of the aforementioned executive body.

The number of teaching hours for the director shall be reduced by 60 hours, to be deducted from his or her annual teaching quota, and he or she shall not receive any financial compensation for performing these duties.

 

Article 7

A pharmacist shall be appointed as assistant director in the capacity of trainer, holding a master's degree in one of the pharmaceutical sciences or its equivalent, by decision of the President of the Lebanese University based on a proposal from the Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy based on the recommendation of the members of the executive body of the Center, under an annual training contract at a rate of 750 hours for the hourly wage recognized under the applicable laws and regulations, provided that the funding is taken from the budget of the Faculty of Pharmacy.

The assistant pharmacist's job is to help train fifth year and master’s students, receive information bulletins on drug side effects from the relevant centers (FDA, EMEA, ANSM), and analyze these bulletins before distributing them to doctors, pharmacists, and healthcare workers. They also do administrative, auditing, and clerical work.

 

Article 8

The Center benefits from cooperation agreements between the Lebanese University and local or international universities or scientific bodies and organizations to receive experts in this field and professors to organize lectures at the invitation of the Center's director.

 

Article 9

The Center shall organize international or local conferences on various topics related to the side effects of drugs, in accordance with the laws and regulations in force.

 

Article 10

The Faculty of Pharmacy may contract experts with proven extensive experience in the field of monitoring the side effects of drugs, preferably those who have publications in this field, in accordance with the laws and regulations in force, based on the proposal of the Center's executive body.

 

Article 11

The director of the Center shall participate in faculty council meetings devoted to Center affairs, without having the right to vote.

 

Article 12

The members of the Executive Board shall meet monthly and whenever necessary, upon the invitation of the director of the Center.

 

Article 13

The members of the Scientific Board shall meet twice a year and whenever necessary, upon invitation by the director of the Center.

 

Article 14

The Center's budget shall be secured from:

1. Appropriations allocated to the Center from the budget of the Faculty of Pharmacy.

2. Donations and grants (in accordance with the regulations in force).

 

Article 15

The Executive Board shall submit an annual report to the Presidency of the Lebanese University, presenting all activities carried out by the Center, particularly in the field of providing information on the side effects of drugs based on international studies in this field. A copy of this report shall also be sent to the Director General of the Ministry of Public Health and the deans of the participating faculties.