Pharmacoepidemiology
Our research focuses on describing and understanding how medications are prescribed, dispensed, and used by different population groups, as well as the effects observed in terms of improved health, side effects, and costs of drug therapy. The approach is primarily registry studies, but we also conduct surveys and qualitative studies.
The field of pharmacoepidemiology emerged as a research subject in the early 1960s following the drug disaster surrounding the medication thalidomide (Neurosedyn) and alarm reports regarding quality deficiencies and high costs of pharmaceuticals within healthcare.
Since then, there has been rapid development. Today, the subject encompasses analyses of how medications are prescribed and used, as well as studies on the benefits and side effects of drug treatment. With increasingly sophisticated medications being studied on fewer individuals when they enter the market, rising drug usage, and an increased focus on sustainable pharmaceutical use socially, economically, and ecologically, pharmacoepidemiology is a rapidly expanding research area. More about pharmacoepidemiology and its future can be read in an issue of SVEPET (2019 No. 4) and the article 'Intriguing Future of Pharmacoepidemiology' (National Library of Medicine).
Medication adherence
Our research is about medication adherence in different diseases, the factors influencing adherence, and how one can improve adherence, including through digital solutions.

Cardiovascular diseases and diabetes
Our research on cardiovascular diseases and diabetes focuses on how medications are prescribed and used. The aim is to improve medication usage so that fewer people experience premature death and reduced quality of life.

Pharmaceuticals in the environment
Pharmaceuticals in the environment can affect fish and aquatic animals, thus impacting entire ecosystems. Our research group is dedicated to studying how to analyze and prevent the negative effects of pharmaceuticals on the environment.


EuroDURG 2025 in Uppsala
European Drug Utilization Conference in Uppsala 1-4 July 2025
Contact us
Contact someone working in our group in pharmacoepidemiology
Student thesis
Selection of previous students' theses from our research group
Selected recent publications
- Socioeconomic factors associated with poor medication adherence in patients with type 2 diabetes. Eur J Clin Pharmacol. 2023 Oct 23. (Ekenberg M, Qvarnström M, Sundström A, Martinell M, Wettermark B.)
- Estimating environmental exposure to analgesic drugs: A cross-sectional study of drug utilization patterns in the area surrounding Sweden's largest drinking water source. Environmental Advances 2023;12:100384. (Villén J, Nekoro M, Kalvemark Sporrong S, Hakonsen H, Bertram MG, Björn Wettermark.)
- Machine learning-driven development of a disease risk score for COVID-19 hospitalization and mortality: a Swedish and Norwegian register-based study. Front Public Health. 2023 Dec 7;11:1258840. (Shakibfar S, Zhao J, Li H, Nordeng H, Lupattelli A, Pavlovic M, Sandve GK, Nyberg F, Wettermark B, Hajiebrahimi M, Andersen M, Sessa M.)
Contact
- Visiting Address: BMC, Husargatan 3, A1:2, A2:2, A3:3, B3:3, B3:4, C2:2
- Letter and Postal Address: Box 580, SE-751 23 Uppsala