Health Canada will begin posting summaries of drug safety reviews on its website – to alert consumers about potential harms associated with certain medications.

The program is called “The Regulatory Transparency and Openness Framework and Action Plan.”

Federal Health Minister Rona Ambrose says information will be posted when a safety issue is identified by patients, health-care providers or the manufacturer.

Ambrose says the first safety review to be made public relates to the acne drug Diane-35, which can cause potentially fatal blood clots in some patients.

Toronto pharmacology expert Dr. David Juurlink says the initiative is a good start, but he questions how complete and transparent the information will be.