E-DRUG: Summer Courses in 'Policy Analysis' and ' Drug Safety'
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[If you are interested DO NOT CLICK REPLY, contact
"Pieter Stolk" <p.stolk@pharm.uu.nl> ]
Dear colleagues,
This summer the Division of Pharmacoepidemiology & Pharmacotherapy at the Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences in Utrecht University, The Netherlands, will host two Summer Courses that may be of special interest to e-drug readers:
- a course in Pharmaceutical Policy Analysis, organised in collaboration with WHO (2-6 July 2007) and
- a course in Pharmacoepidemiology & Drug Safety (25-29 June 2007).
A description of both courses can be found below this message. The fee for one course is 750 EUR, both courses can be combined for a 'combination fee' of 1250 EUR. For more information about the application procedure, and all other courses in the Utrecht Summer School 2007, please visit:
http://www.utrechtsummerschool.nl/ or contact Pieter Stolk (p.stolk@uu.nl).
The deadline for registration
is 31st May 2007.
Kind Regards,
Pieter Stolk
Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences
Division of Pharmacoepidemiology & Pharmacotherapy
PO Box 80 082, 3508 TB Utrecht, The Netherlands
Tel +31 30 253 6719
Fax +31 30 253 9166
E-mail P.Stolk@uu.nl
1) Course Description - Pharmaceutical Policy Analysis (2-6 July 2007)
Medicines are among the most regulated products in society. From the earliest pre-clinical stages onward,
policy makers want to foster the development of safe, effective and affordable medicines for patients in need of pharmacotherapy. Priority Medicines and Orphan Drugs are examples of concepts that aim to energise new 'social contracts' between society and drug innovators.
When a drug reaches the market, it is the beginning of a process of complex interactions between patients, prescribers, pharmacists, insurers, pharmaceutical companies and governments. Furthermore, from a global perspective, the reality is that two billion people do not have access to essential medicines. The inequity in access to medicines is still a defining characteristic of the global pharmaceutical market place.
This course will cover these issues from a scientific, regulatory, public health and international policy perspective. As a collaborator on this course, the World Health Organization will provide faculty for several of the sessions.
COURSE LEADER
Prof. Dr. Bert Leufkens, Dr. Richard Laing (World Health Organization) and Pieter Stolk.
TARGET GROUP
(Post)graduates and professionals within governments, NGOs, industry, universities with a basic knowledge of public health/medicine or pharmacy who have an interest in the policy aspects of pharmaceuticals.
AIM OF THE COURSE
The aim of the course is to give students insight into current developments in pharmaceutical policy making as well to give a better understanding of the methods available for analysing the effects of policy interventions.
FEE
750 Euro,- (includes course materials, lunches, course dinner, excludes housing)
(Student accomodation is available. Additional costs: Euro 175
2) Course Description - Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety (25-29 June 2007)
With the prospect that innovative drug therapies will be introduced in the coming years, society demands new approaches and concepts for comparative risk/benefit evaluation. These evaluations are carried out once these therapies have been used widely in daily practice.
Assessment of safety and risk management of different drug therapies is done in the framework of
observational epidemiological studies (proof of "safety", proof of "effectiveness"). This is the logical next step after randomized clinical trials, which are designed to provide evidence of a drugs "efficacy".(Should this not be effectiveness???)
The course will cover key issues in pharmacoepidemiologic and drug safety research. Special topics include linking databases and molecular pharmacoepidemiology. All course teachers have extended expertise in the design and conduct of pharmacoepidemiologic studies.