Prosperous future. Successful history.
Uppsala University's pharmaceutical operations is constantly exploring new frontiers: From Linnaeus' excursions to our boundless commitment in numerous international consortia. Today, the Department of Medicinal Chemistry is a vital and central part of the work for a healthier world.

Uppsala University's pharmaceutical research has a long and successful history, dating back to the 1620s and the founding of Uppsala's Faculty of Medicine. At that time, pharmacy, medicine and botany were practically the same science, making the most famous among our researchers Carl von Linné, Professor of Medicine.
On 1 July, 1968, Farmaceutiska Institutet (Pharmaceutical Institute) joined Uppsala University, a fruitful marriage that resulted in Sweden's first - and still only - Faculty of Pharmacy. The number of departments increased rapidly, and in 1992 a reorganisation turned eleven small into three large departments. The relatively short-lived Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry was founded here, before researchers of analytical and organic pharmaceutical chemistry and pharmacognosy in 2001 merged into the Department of Medicinal Chemistry.
Our department's first two decades include both scientific achievements of great significance and colorful personalities. Among our many prominent researchers are Anders Hallberg, Professor of Medicinal Chemistry and Vice-Chancellor of Uppsala University 2006–2011, and Mats Larhed, Professor of Medicinal Chemistry and current Vice-Rector at the Disciplinary Domain of Medicine and Pharmacy, a collaboration that since 1999 further consolidates our close ties to healthcare.

Anders Hallberg, former Vice-Chancellor and H.M. Silvia
The Department of Medicinal Chemistry of today is a very stimulating scientific arena. Our research environments attract promising doctoral students whose contributions are central to our efforts to achieve results of the highest quality and relevance. Our expertise is sought after in the global pharmacy and our employees hold key assignments in numerous international consortia. It is with a prominent position that we continue to develop our operations following a clear vision: to contribute to a healthier world.
Important years in our development
1968 | Farmaceutiska Institutet is integrated into Uppsala University as the Faculty of Pharmacy. |
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1973 | Adjunct professors are established with employment in industry and service at the university, thus forming a bridge between academia and business. |
1975 | All of the faculty's departments are on site in Uppsala's Biomedicine Center. |
1976 | The National Board of Health and Welfare's pharmaceutical department (from 1990 the Swedish Medical Products Agency) moves its operations to Uppsala and becomes a neighbor of the Faculty of Pharmacy. |
1977 | The faculty appoints Arvid Carlsson, pharmacologist and later Nobel laureate, as honorary doctor. |
1990 | The faculty takes an active part in the formation of the ULLA consortium, the purpose of which is to strengthen European research and postgraduate education in the field of pharmaceuticals. |
1992 | The faculty reorganises and eleven departments become three. |
1994 | The Wallenberg Foundation and Astra allocate SEK 30 million to the faculty's doctoral programs in Galenic pharmacy. |
1999 | Uppsala University's faculties of pharmacy and medicine unite in the Disciplinary Domain of Medicine and Pharmacy. |
2001 | Thomas Lönngren, a faculty alumni graduated in Uppsala in 1976, is appointed head of the European Medicines Agency. |
2006 | Anders Hallberg, Professor of Medicinal chemistry, is appointed Vice-Chancellor of Uppsala University. |
2018 | The Faculty of Pharmacy celebrates 50 years at Uppsala University. |
2020 | SweDeliver, the national competence center with a focus on drug delivery is inaugurated with the Faculty of Pharmacy being the academic hub. |