Objectives: The global medical scientific arena has witnessed an enormous progress in the field of protection as well as therapy in both its divisions: the medical and the interventionist. This was the result of scientific research that led to terminating most of the human sufferings. Scientific research also contributed to the recession of many diseases that used to take away millions of peoples' lives. Research also has provided many therapies whether pharmaceuticals or different methods of intervention so as to overcome pain and revive hopes.

However, this progress is not free of several problems. Some of these are ethical; "a subject we will expatiate on later". Others took the shape of serious complications of the therapy administered or its interaction with other elements which may have negative effect on the patient's health.

Therefore, most international organizations and large-scale authorities like WHO, FDA, ICH and many others dedicated the so-called pharmocovigilance to follow up what is published in the world magazines as well as the correspondences which these authorities receive concerning the safety of these therapies and warnings that should be added. Pharmocovigilance is to publish these correspondences in order to spread awareness. It should also demand the suspension of a given

therapy, its registration one more time or the addition of new warnings in its counter-indications.

That is why IOMS considered it its duty, based on its principles, to attempt issuing all this under the title, "IOMS Newsletter" with the following objectives:

(1) To spread awareness of the ethical aspects of medicine whether at the level of practice or relationships; the so-called "bio-medical ethics".

(2) To spread awareness of the latest published developments concerning chemical medications whether in terms of the degree of safety, warnings against its usage along with some other medications, the declaration of the withdrawal of these chemical medications from the markets if this happened, or the addition of new counter-indications on the medication leaflet or in the course of registering them at the concerned authorities.

(3) To spread awareness of all that is published on traditional, complimentary or alternative medicine in the shape of warnings against manipulating pharmaceuticals or their side effects; or opinions on the safety degree of these kinds of treatments.

(4) The newsletter will include some of the information and news on the Islamic medical heritage.

(5) Last, but not least, the newsletter will include a briefing on some of the IOMS publications and a summary of their content.

Out of the necessity for documenting the information in this "Newsletter", the IOMS drew upon reliable sources and listed the references of every piece of news in footnotes to facilitate referring to them for those who seek more knowledge.

The editing committee held the view that it should display in each issue of this newsletter one of the topics of bio-medical ethics and publish therewith the relevant recommendations issued by IOMS and some of the international news regarding them.

The committee will also choose a medical topic and publish all the relevant information or warnings it has. The same applies to the other headings of the newsletter.

These are the objectives of the newsletter and the vision of IOMS. We pray Allah to bestow us success to be up to the expectations of all our readers. We beseech you to kindly supply us with your opinions which we highly respect to develop and improve this newsletter. Thus, it comes out in the best image possible, given that this newsletter is published on the IOMS website, http://www.islamset.org to which you can refer if need be.