J Pharmacoepidemiol Risk Manage.  2020 Sep;12(2):110-117.

Beginning and Development of Pharmacoepidemiology in Korea

• Park BJ

Abstract

Pharmacoepidemiology (PE) was introduced to Korea almost 30 years ago. At that time, the infrastructure for pharmacoepidemiology was too primitive to perform any valid PE research in Korea. My colleagues and I organized a Korean Elderly Pharmacoepidemiology Cohort in 1993, a PE study group in 1995, and Korean Regional Pharmacovigilance Centers in 2006. We also established Korean Society for PE and Risk Management in 2007 and managed National Pharmacovigilance Network from 2009 to 2011. We also inaugurated the Journal of PE & Risk Management in 2008 and published Korean textbook of PE in 2011. I played a linchpin role for organization and establishment of Korea Institute of Drug Safety and Risk Management in 2012, and had served as the first President of the institute from 2012 to 2015. In addition to the domestic achievement, I have been actively involved to the activation of PE in Asia-Pacific region by initiation of Asian Conference on PE since 2006 and establishing Asian PE Network since 2008.

Keyword

Pharmacoepidemiology; Pharmacovigilance; Drug utilization review; Research designs; Asian PE Network (AsPEN)