[Development of pharmaco-epidemiology in France]

A new scientific discipline: Progress in scientific knowledge, advances in therapeutic innovation, the development of new drugs and the continuing need for optimal drug use impose a new approach to the rational assessment of public health needs and the risks and benefits of therapeutic intervention. In the near future, a new scientific discipline, pharmaceutical epidemiology, will play a leading role. France seems to be a bit behind other western countries in this area. Goal setting: The objectives of industrial firms do not necessarily cover all aspects of the overall goals of society. If the scientific community leaves the development and implementation of pharmaceutical epidemiology in the hands of industrial firms alone, they risk seeing its field of action limited to industrial objectives. The goals of this new discipline must be defined within an unbiased framework aimed at meeting the needs of society in general. Organization: The development of pharmaceutical epidemiology as an integral part of medical research requires a clear definition of its objectives, methods, working hypotheses and time and human allocations. In this context, pharmaceutical epidemiology should be organized within the University and scientific settings currently contributing to scientific research in France (INSERM, CNRS, ORSTOM, etc.). Creating favorable conditions: A pharmaceutical epidemiology network with adequate human and material resources is needed. The wide range of needs expressed by existing institutions (Drug Agency, Prescription and Drug Use Observatory, industrial firms, the national health insurance system, physician and pharmacist associations) pleads for a nationally organized project working in the public domain.