History

The European Drug Utilisation Group (Euro DURG) its aims and activities

The foundation of EURO DURG and its constitution takes into account the growing importance of population related drug utilisation research and of research on quality and cost containment of therapy. The ongoing deep political changes in Europe need not only multinational drug utilisation research but research on a European level. The Euro DURG may be a platform for discussing medical, social, economic, ethnic and ethical questions of determinants and effects of drug utilisation in Europe.

DURG has originated from a group of "temporary" expert WHO advisors. From its early beginnings there have always been strong links to WHO European Office. Euro DURG would like to maintain this link with WHO.

During the last two decades DURGers from many European countries have been meeting every two years. The 1993 DURG meeting in Oxford was a great success — 285 DURGers of 32 countries attended the meeting demonstrating the great interest in these questions. At the meeting the idea was proposed and accepted of formalizing the DURG group to strengthen the group and its impact on drug utilisation research.

In 1994 at the Stockholm DURG meeting a draft Constitution was presented and passed. An interim committee was elected, broadly representative, geographically and professionally.

The constitution defines drug utilisation research and pharmacoepidemiological research as research on the quantitative and qualitative aspects of drug use and therapy, the determinants of drug use and the effects on patients specifically and on the population in general.

The Euro DURG has as its mission the promotion of drug utilisation research as a means of improving use of drugs by providing an international forum for communication and cooperation between people interested in drug utilisation research.

To achieve its mission, the Euro DURG may:

• Encourage communication and cooperation between scientists in several disciplines interested in researching drug utilization and pharmacoepidemiology;
• Work towards the adoption of standards for international and national drug use research methodology; on the other hand there is a need to measure regional variations in drug utilisation across Europe and to account for it;
• Maximise the potential of the information available on drug utilization for improving patient care;
• Cooperate with international and national drug regulatory authorities, such as the World Health Organization and the European Union, European Council, health insurance agencies, the pharmaceutical industry, academic departments and professional bodies in furthering drug utilization research and its applications;
• and Promote the incorporation of drug utilization research and its applications in educational programmes.

Membership of the Euro DURG is open to Euroepan residents. Legally constituted national Drug Utilization Researcg Groups within Europe may have collective membership of the EURO DURG. The General Assembly of all members elects the Executive Committee on the basis one country one vote.

The Executive Committee was elected in 1996 at the 1st EURO DURG Meeting, and invite you to become a member of EURO DURG.

If you have any questions, or if you want the full text of the Constitutions, please, feel free to contact any of the Committee Members, or the National Representative in your country.