Pharmacoepidemiology and pharmacovigilance

Scientific Activity

The research activity is oriented towards the pharmacoepidemiological evaluation of the pattern of drug use (pharmacoutilization) and the safety profile (pharmacovigilance) of drugs and vaccines in daily clinical practice. The analysis on the use of some classes of drugs (for example, the use of antibiotics in hospitals or in some subgroups of patients) are performed through the application of investigational techniques specific to drug utilization studies. Pharmacovigilance studies are mainly carried out through statistical evaluations of the main international databases (FAERS, VAERS, EudraVigilance) of spontaneous reporting of ADRs. Another area of ​​activity (clinical pharmacology) is the analysis of the degree of therapeutic innovation for new drugs.

All research activities are either of a spontaneous and independent nature or with institutional funding (Emilia-Romagna Region, scientific societies, foundations).

The objectives of our research are the growth of knowledge on the benefit/risk ratio of drugs and vaccines in the real world, the evaluation of the pattern of drug’s usage according to indicators of its appropriateness of use and the determination of the degree of therapeutic innovation of new drugs and their contingent place in therapy.

National and international collaborators

  • The research group actively collaborates with Italian public institutions (Regions, AIFA, Local Helath Authorities)
  • Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT—The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.

  • Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.

Principal Investigator

Team

Victoria Nikitina

Research fellow

Other members

Dr. Greta Santi Laurini (scholarship holder)