Define pharmacovigilance.

Pharmacovigilance is fundamentally understood as the science of monitoring the safety of medications and implementing measures to mitigate risks associated with drug use. This encompasses the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data related to adverse drug reactions and other medication-related issues. The primary objective is to enhance patient safety and ensure that the benefits of a drug outweigh its risks throughout its lifecycle, from development to post-marketing surveillance.

In contrast to the other options, which focus on different aspects of pharmacology, the task of pharmacovigilance specifically emphasizes ongoing safety evaluation and risk management rather than the initial study of drug interactions, discovery of new compounds, or dosage standardization in clinical trials. Each of these other options serves important roles in the field of pharmacology but does not encapsulate the core mission of pharmacovigilance, which is to safeguard public health by systematically monitoring and addressing the safety of pharmaceutical products after they have been introduced to the market.