[From psychoactive medicines to addictovigilance in French Public Health Code (1990-2017)]

Abstract

Addictovigilance in the French Public Health Code, in the section related to poisonous substances, refers to a monitoring system developed since 1990: control of psychoactive substances and products, with medicinal use or not, was completed by a specific system focused on evaluation and information on pharmacodependance in 1999. The French medicines agency (Agence du médicament) created in 1993 was involved in this monitoring system; pharmacodependance evaluation was added by law to the missions of the agencies that followed: the Agence française de sécurité sanitaire des produits de santé missions (AFSSAPS, 1998) and the Agence nationale de sécurité du médicament et des produits de santé (ANSM, 2011). "Addictovigilance" first appears in French Law in 2017 whereas it was used by pharmacodependance centers and AFSSAPS since 2007. Legal definition of addictovigilance in the French Public Health Code testified to public authorities action against addictive behavior whatever products status, legal or not. The visibility of addictovigilance is growing on the Internet as well (ANSM website, web portal for reporting adverse health events).

Keywords: Abus; Addictovigilance; Drug; Information centers; Legislation; Législation pharmaceutique; Pharmacodépendance; Public health surveillance; Substance-related disorders; Substances psychoactives.