Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) patient safety essay competition 2025 

The competition encourages entrants to reflect on real-world clinical scenarios and propose innovative ways to enhance the reporting and understanding of genetic factors in adverse drug reactions. This is a fantastic chance for students to engage with a national health priority, develop their critical thinking, and contribute to the ongoing improvement of medicine safety in the UK.

The essay title this year is:
“Using examples, discuss the potential role for genetics in improving the efficacy and safety of medicines for patients in the UK. Consider how the MHRA Yellow Card scheme could better capture pharmacogenomic related adverse reactions.”

Prizes will be awarded in two categories – for UK medical students (from Years 3 onwards, including intercalating BSc students) and for foundation doctors (F1 and F2). Each category offers:

First prize: £500 and an invitation to present at a national meeting of the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM)

Second prize: £300

Third prize: £200

Entries (maximum 2,000 words) should be submitted as a Word document to med.essay@mhra.gov.uk by 17:00 GMT on Monday, 15 December 2025.

For more information: Patient safety essay competition 2025 | Making medicines and medical devices safer

New eLearning Resources for MHRA’s Yellow Card Scheme

MHRA has partnered with the British Pharmacological Society (BPS) to launch a new range of free learning resources to raise awareness of the Yellow Card scheme and the importance of reporting adverse events related to medicines and medical devices. It is delivered using the same technology and layout as the UK Prescribing Safety Assessment. 

The modules and assessments can be found here: New eLearning resource to encourage reporting of side effects and adverse reactions via the Yellow C | British Pharmacological Society