How do we minimise the harm caused to patients by medicines and medical devices? In October 2019, a diverse, multi-stakeholder group met in Erice, Italy and drew up a 10-point plan for improving patient safety worldwide.This episode is part of the Uppsala Reports Long Reads series – the most topical stories from UMC’s pharmacovigilance magazine, brought to you in audio format. Find the original article here.After the read, we reach UMC director Marie Lindquist in her home in Gothenburg, Sweden to discuss the relevance of the Erice statement, as the world copes with the COVID-19 pandemic.Tune in to find out:What actions we should be taking to protect patients from medicine-related harmWhy collaboration between evidence-based medicine and pharmacovigilance is crucialWhy transparency is of the essence when communicating uncertaintyWant to know more?The full statement produced by the Erice group is entitled “Improving the detection, analysis, and reporting of harms in medicines and devices”.The original Erice Declaration of 1997 laid the groundwork for good communication practices in the pharmacovigilance field and was updated in 2006 and in 2017.Join the conversation on social mediaFollow us on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn, and share your thoughts about the show with the hashtag #DrugSafetyMatters.Got a story to share?We’re always looking for new content and interesting people to interview. If you have a great idea for a show, get in touch!About UMCRead more about Uppsala Monitoring Centre and how we work to make medicines safer for patients.