The "2010 International Conference on Pharmacovigilance and Drug Safety" was held in Changsha, Hunan on 30 November 2010.  The Conference was jointly organised by Division of Medicine and Health, the Chinese Academy of Engineering, the Central South University, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the University of London and the University of Bordeaux.  Prof. Hong-Hao Zhou (Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Director, Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, the Central South University), Prof. Thomas Y.K. Chan (Director, Centre for Food and Drug Safety, Faculty of Medicine, CUHK), Prof. Ian C.K. Wong (the University of London) and Prof. Nicholas Moore (the University of Bordeaux) were the keynote speakers.  The focus of the Conference was on the "Strategies to Promote Drug Safety and Effectiveness".  The Conference provided a forum for in-depth discussion on the current topics in pharmacovigilance and drug safety, including the methods to assess drug safety and effectiveness, clinical trials, pharmacoepidemiology, post-marketing surveillance, rational prescribing, personalised medicine and the importance of national and regional drug safety research networks.

With the continuing support from the Chinese Academy of Engineering and the drug safety research centres of the Central South University and CUHK, this Conference will become an important annual scientific meeting to promote drug safety and quality use of medicines in the region.