Never in the history of the DSRU has its role been so important to society.

The DSRU, the leading pharmacoepidemiology and pharmacovigilance unit in the UK, continues to conduct studies examining the safety of a range of medicinal products including COVID-19 medicines and vaccines.

The aim of the DSRU is to achieve the highest possible scientific and ethical standards by putting the interests of patients first, and to work with integrity and fairness with all our partners. We use a range of data sources to conduct real-world safety studies on medicines and vaccines. Our study methods include registries, cohort studies in primary care and hospitals, case-control studies, studies for patient-reported outcomes, and population-based observational research using the CPRD primary care database. We also advise on and conduct programmes for risk minimisation as well as monitoring their effectiveness.

In addition, we conduct systematic reviews (with or without meta-analyses) and structured benefit-risk assessments using published literature.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the DSRU has been actively involved in research into vaccines and treatments to fight the virus. We are involved in monitoring the safety of all COVID vaccines in the UK via a number of projects, and have completed systematic benefit-risk assessments of several potential COVID-19 treatments.

If you would like to discuss opportunities for an observational study with us, please get in touch with Dr Liz Lynn (elizabeth.lynn@dsru.org) or phone +44 (0)23 8040 8600