MedDRA (Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities) is the internationally standardised medical terminology used to code medical information in regulatory activities, including adverse events, adverse reactions, medical history, indications and investigations.
Why a pharmacovigilance professional uses it
MedDRA provides the common terminology needed to exchange, aggregate and analyse safety information consistently across organisations and jurisdictions. Typical uses include ICSR coding, aggregate safety analyses, signal detection and clinical safety data review.
Related official tools and documents
The MedDRA website provides the Web-Based Browser, Standardised MedDRA Queries (SMQs), Points to Consider documents, training, release information and terminology support.
Do not confuse it with
WHODrug is primarily used to code medicinal products and concomitant medications. CTCAE is a clinical adverse-event terminology that also provides severity grades, particularly in oncology. These resources can be used alongside MedDRA but serve different purposes.