Boston Collaborative Drug Surveillance Program

The Boston Collaborative Drug Surveillance Program (BCDSP) was established in 1966. It was the first group to conduct formal epidemiologic research to quantify the potential adverse effects of prescription drugs, utilizing in-hospital monitoring and had a pioneering role in the development and application of methods in drug epidemiology.

Today the BCDSP conducts studies in the field of pharmacoepidemiology using large automated patient databases, including the UK General Practice Research Database (GPRD). The BCDSP also made a major contribution to the development and validation of the GPRD and has a unique experience in the design and execution of pharmacoepidemiological studies with this database.

The studies conducted in recent years include a broad range of drugs and outcomes. Research studies are either investigator-initiated or performed on a contract basis in collaboration with regulatory authorities or pharmaceutical industry. The BCDSP has published more than 400 pharmacoepidemiological studies and methodological reviews in peer-reviewed medical journals, of which more than 150 are based on data fom the GPRD.

The BCDSP also offers programs of professional education in drug epidemiology and welcomes collaborators from government, industry and academia.

You are invited to visit our website, which provides further information about the history of the BCDSP, the databases we work with including the GPRD, our annual international workshop on drug safety and pharmacoepidemiology in France, scientific publications by the BCDSP and our staff.

 

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