Björn Wettermark

Professor of pharmacoepidemiology with research focusing on drug utilization as a tool in health policy, quality use of medicines, comparative studies and interventions to promote rational use of drugs. Engaged in various strategic groups on health policy and medicine management. Scientific advisor to the Swedish Medical Products Agency as well as past chair of the European Drug Utilization Research group, the European chapter of the International Society for Pharmacoepidemiology.

Since 2020 appointed as professor of pharmacoepidemiology, Uppsala university. Previous experience include various positions in the health system of Stockholm as well as ongoing research linked to clinical pharmacology and clinical epidemiology, Karolinska institutet. Details available in the CV.

PRIOR POSITIONS

2017-2019 Project leader, Region Stockholm, responsible for restructuring knowledge management in the healthcare system of Stockholm & Gotland

2015-2017, Head of the Department of Healthcare Development, Public Healthcare Services Committee, Stockholm County Council, Sweden. The department was responsible for statistics & informatics, reimbursement models in healthcare, analyses and healthcare quality registries

2010-2015, Head of analysis unit, Centre for Medical Knowledge/Department of Healthcare development, Stockholm County Council

2007-2010, Division of Medical Management, Stockholm County Council as a pharmacoepidemiologist responsible for drug utilization analyses.

2003-2007, National Corporation of Swedish Pharmacies (Apoteket AB), responsible for Drug and Therapeutics committee (DTC) services in the country, member of the research board of Apoteket AB

2000-2003, Consultant, National Corporation of Swedish Pharmacies, responsible for drug utilization analyses in Stockholm region

1991-2000, Hospital pharmacist, Karolinska University hospital Huddinge,
responsible for drug utilization analyses & clinical trials, PhD-student from 1998

My research is mainly in the field of Drug Utilization, an eclectic research discipline including studies on determinants of drug use in the population, prescribing quality indicators, international comparisons of drug utilization, patient adherence and intervention studies to promote rational use of drugs. Some examples of ongoing studies include epidemiological analyses on disease patterns in different populations as well as the utilization, effectiveness and safety of medicines used in patients with impaired renal function, hypertension, atrial fibrillation and cancer. I am also involved in various studies in health policy, including cross-national comparisons of policy initiatives and medicine use, development of methods to forecast volumes and expenditures of medicines and studies to monitor the introduction of new medicines. In recent years, I have expanded my research to other emerging topics in health policy such as the effect of different polices on access and quality in primary care. I have also started to explore new data sources that have become increasingly available with the ongoing digitalization of healthcare. These include electronic health records and data generated from patients´ interactions with digital health services.