At the Center for Drugs and Public Policy (CDPP), our research and educational programming have been providing thought-provoking analysis and focused dialogue on drug use and public policy since 1987. We examine the dynamic connections between theory and practice in the health care arena. We assess the impact on regulation, policy, industry practices and health care treatment standards.

We specialize in providing credible, unbiased, and pragmatic solutions for government agencies, the pharmaceutical industry, professional organizations and private businesses.

Our greatest asset is our multidisciplinary faculty. Researchers in the CDPP are faculty members in the School of Pharmacy Department of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research, and are all actively engaged in research and widely published in refereed journals. CDPP also has ongoing working relationships with researchers in other institutions both in and outside the University of Maryland.

Upcoming Conference

Emerging Issues in Food & Drug Law
Monday, November 16, 2009

It is a critical time in the food and drug industry and within the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. New regulators, policy-makers, and industry leaders are engaged in intense policy debates that will shape the face of food and drug law for decades to come. Join regulators, industry leaders, and legal experts in a day-long conference dedicated to emerging issues in food and drug law. Attend this year’s conference, meet FDA regulators and experts in the field, and participate in a critical dialogue on these hot-button issues:

  • A Regulatory Pathway for Follow-On Biologics
  • Preemption and the Impact of Riegel v. Medtronic and Wyeth v. Levine On Drug and Device Labeling
  • Navigating FDAAA: The Challenges of Risk Evaluation & Mitigation Strategies (REMS)
  • The Future of Generic Drugs: Patents, Exclusivity, and Litigation

More Information

We offer:

Credible Research and Consultation

We provide a global picture by:

  • Connecting: key variables, by association or causal relation in our research; science and marketing in our consulting; presentation of results and strategic discussions at our conferences.
  • Providing timely completion of deliverables.
  • Researching the links between medication use and outcomes, within the context of public health, public policy and disease management.
  • Answering your questions on how to collect, analyze and report data, and how to interpret results. We bring results to the forefront of policy debate on costs and public health.

We conduct research based on:

  • Health care policy and finance
  • Pharmacoeconomics
  • Econonmic analysis in clinical trials
  • Predictive modeling
  • Outcomes research
  • Pharmacoepidemiology
  • Drug law and regulation
  • Drug use studies
  • International pharmaceutical policy
  • Pricing


Unbiased Educational Programming

CDPP offers educational programming as a forum to address current trends in health care policy and practice. As an educational group, we bridge the gap between health care providers, payors, government and state officials, health plans, the pharmaceutical industry and academics.

Pragmatic Solutions

We collect and analyze data to produce information to help policy and decision-makers.