Privacy statement

About us

Pharmacovigilance Centre Lareb is an organization focused on collecting and analyzing information about adverse reactions to drugs and other health products. We work together with various authorities to monitor and improve the safety of medicines.

Why this privacy statement?

We believe it is important to be transparent about how we process your personal data. In this privacy statement, we explain which personal data we collect, why we do so, and how we protect your privacy.

Which personal data do we collect?

The personal data we collect depends on the nature and extent of your interaction with us. These may include:

Contact details such as your name, email address, and phone number
Demographic information such as gender, date of birth, and postal code
Health information, including medication use, indications, and experienced adverse reactions
Identification details, such as your Citizen Service Number (BSN), if relevant for your report
Website visit data, IP address

Why do we collect this data?

We process personal data solely based on the legal grounds in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Depending on the purpose, this may involve a legal obligation, consent, public interest, or legitimate interest. We collect the data for various purposes:

For processing your reports

When you submit a report of adverse drug reactions, we use your contact information to get in touch with you and obtain additional information if needed. We use your health data to analyze the report. These data are processed under the Dutch Medicines Act. Personal data may be shared with authorities such as CBG, EMA, NVWA, IGJ, or RIVM. We use aggregated and anonymized data for statistical analysis.

For healthcare professionals submitting a report:

Inform the patient, where possible, about the purpose of the report and the nature of the shared data.
If informing the patient is not possible (for example in cases of urgency, unreachability, or when this would require a disproportionate effort), the report may still be submitted based on Article 14(5) GDPR.

For processing and responding to your questions

We use your contact details to communicate with you and obtain more information if necessary.

For scientific research

Lareb uses collected data for scientific research. Current ongoing studies can be found at Onderzoeken (lareb.nl). The data collected by Lareb is essential for monitoring the safety of medicines and tracking adverse reactions. Aggregated data may be shared with various authorities, such as: RIVM, CBG, EMA, or WHO.

For administrative purposes

We may use your data to meet legal requirements and improve your website experience.

How do we protect your privacy?

We take the protection of your privacy very seriously. Here are some of the measures we are taking to safeguard your personal data:

Secure connection: We use a secure connection (TLS certificate) to ensure that your data is encrypted during transmission and protected against unauthorized access.
Access restrictions: Only authorized employees with specific login credentials and permissions have access to your personal data.
Data encryption: We use encryption techniques to provide additional protection for sensitive data, such as your Citizen Service Number (BSN).
Captcha checks: To prevent unwanted activities, we use Captcha checks when necessary.

How long do we retain your data?

We retain your data only as long as necessary. The retention period may vary depending on legal requirements and the nature of the data. The data you provide through a report remains relevant to us and will be retained. In the case of a study, after 15 years it will be reassessed whether the data is still relevant and should be kept. Data used to improve the user experience on the website will be deleted after 1 year.

Who has access to your data?

Access to your personal data is limited to authorized personnel of Pharmacovigilance Centre Lareb and external parties involved in analyzing reports on medicine safety or in storing your data.

Automated decision‑making

We do not use automated decision‑making or profiling that could affect your rights or interests without human intervention. All decisions relating to the processing of your personal data are made with direct human assessment and involvement.

Your rights: access, correction, deletion

Under the GDPR, you have several rights regarding your personal data. These rights allow you to exercise control over the way your data is processed. You may:

request access to or a copy of the personal data that Lareb processes about you;
request the correction of data that is inaccurate or incomplete;
request the deletion of your personal data;
request the transfer of your data to another organisation;
request the restriction of the processing of your personal data;
object to the processing of your personal data;
withdraw previously given consent.

When you submit a request to Lareb to exercise your privacy rights, we are legally required to first verify your identity. We do this to prevent unauthorized individuals from gaining access to your data. If you wish to submit a request regarding any privacy right, please contact us via info@lareb.nl.

Questions and contact

Data Protection Officer (DPO) via Stichting Privacyzorg, registration number FG015102.

If you have any questions or comments about this privacy statement or our practices regarding personal data, please do not hesitate to contact us at:

Email: info@lareb.nl

Phone: 073 - 64 69 700

Version and date

Updated on 11-02-2026