Pharmacovigilance and pharmacoepidemiology: principles, definition, methods and current trends in neurology.

It is now well established that only clinical trials performed,before drug approval are not sufficient for a full modern pharmacological evaluation of drugs and treatments. The need of both pharmacovigilance and pharmacoepide miology is underlined in order to evaluate drugs under real conditions. Aft er a summary of methods used in pharmacoepidemiological trials (spontaneous reports, imputability assessment, cohorts, case control studies etc.), rec ent pharmacoepidemiological data useful for the neurologist are summarized: side effects of tacrine and vaccines, serotoninergic syndrom and side effe cts of new antiepileptic drugs.