Cyberpharmacovigilance: What is the usefulness of the social networks in pharmacovigilance?

Internet is changing the way people learn about health and illness. Health websites are among the most popular resources on the web. The sharing of patient experiences on a website could be an interesting source of information about adverse drug reactions (ADRs) or could generate “signals”. Three examples of the use of patient forums in pharmacovigilance are discussed: (1) analysis of perceptions of risk by patients before and after withdrawal of benfluorex, and then following media coverage; (2) comparison of oral antineoplasic-induced ADRs collected on patient websites with those registered in the French pharmacovigilance database; (3) analysis of data found in the social media about drugs and pregnancy.