Pharmacovigilance and clinical research are two distinct but closely related fields within the pharmaceutical industry. Here are the key differences between them:

Definition:

Pharmacovigilance: Pharmacovigilance (PV) is the science and activities related to the detection, assessment, understanding, and prevention of adverse effects or any other drug-related problems associated with pharmaceutical products after they have been approved and marketed.
Clinical Research: Clinical research involves the scientific investigation of pharmaceuticals, medical devices, treatments, and interventions in human subjects to assess their safety, efficacy, and effectiveness.
Focus:

Pharmacovigilance: Pharmacovigilance focuses on monitoring the safety of pharmaceutical products post-marketing, identifying adverse drug reactions (ADRs), evaluating risks, and implementing risk mitigation strategies to ensure the safe use of medications by patients.
Clinical Research: Clinical research focuses on designing, conducting, and analyzing clinical trials and observational studies to generate data on the safety, efficacy, and effectiveness of new drugs, therapies, and medical interventions.
Timing:

Pharmacovigilance: Pharmacovigilance activities occur after a pharmaceutical product has been approved and marketed, with the goal of monitoring its safety profile and identifying any previously unrecognized adverse effects.

Clinical Research: Clinical research activities occur during the pre-marketing phase of drug development, where investigational products are tested in controlled clinical trials to establish their safety and efficacy before regulatory approval.
Activities:

Pharmacovigilance: Pharmacovigilance activities include the collection, assessment, and reporting of adverse drug reactions (ADRs), signal detection, risk management planning, post-marketing surveillance, and regulatory reporting.

Clinical Research: Clinical research activities include protocol development, patient recruitment, informed consent, data collection, monitoring, statistical analysis, and reporting of study results.
Regulatory Requirements:

Pharmacovigilance: Pharmacovigilance activities are subject to regulatory requirements and guidelines set forth by regulatory agencies such as the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and EMA (European Medicines Agency) to ensure the safety of pharmaceutical products.

Clinical Research: Clinical research activities are subject to regulatory requirements and guidelines governing the conduct of clinical trials, including Good Clinical Practice (GCP) guidelines, to ensure the integrity and reliability of study data.

In summary, while pharmacovigilance focuses on monitoring the safety of pharmaceutical products post-marketing, identifying adverse drug reactions, and implementing risk mitigation strategies, clinical research focuses on generating data on the safety, efficacy, and effectiveness of new drugs through controlled clinical trials conducted before regulatory approval. Both fields play essential roles in ensuring the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical products throughout their lifecycle.