Drug Utilization Research (DUR), as defined by the World Health Organization, studies “the market, distribution, prescription and use of drugs in a society, with particular attention to the resulting medical,
social and economic consequences”. This discipline is an essential part of applied research in Health Systems as it describes the extent, nature, and incidence of drug exposure under Real-World conditions. The use of databases of populations, based on the so-called Real World Data (RWD), is strategic for the implementation of studies and research in this area, as well as for decision support in health care.

CIRFF has almost 20 years of experience in coordinating and conducting research in this field through national and international projects funded by public bodies such as AIFA, the Ministry of Health, the European Commission, as well as private entities and companies in the sector Within international collaborations and networks, it applies analytical models for cross-country comparisons on the main patterns of drug use. Moreover, as a structure in charge of analyzing the regional information database, since 2005 it has been assessing the use of drugs in the Campania Region, regarding drug therapies in real clinical practice, using an electronic health archive known as CaReDb.