Global research output in pharmacovigilance (2015–2020)

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to measure the global research landscape on Pharmacovigilance (PV) indexed in the Scopus database for six years period spanning from 2015 to 2020. The study examines growth rate, author productivity and prominent authors, institutions and countries. Design/methodology/approach The research literature on PV published globally and indexed in the Scopus core collection database was retrieved using the search string “pharmacovigilance” as per the Medical List of Subject Heading. A total of 1,272 documents were retrieved based on the query set. Quantitative and visualization technologies were used for data analysis and interpretation. Network visualization maps including research collaboration of authors, journals, institutions and countries were created by using the VOSviewer program. Findings A total of 1,272 global scientific research output on PV were retrieved with an annual average growth rate of 21.70% and with a proportion of 3.84% compound annual growth rate. The relative growth rate for the world’s PV publications decreased gradually from the rate of 0.71 to 0.20. On the other hand, the doubling time (DT) of PV publications displays an increasing trend from the rate of 0.97 to 3.46. The mean relative growth and DT of PV publication for six years is 0.32 and 1.87, respectively. The global publications on PV registered a total of 6,387 citations with an average citation impact of 5.02 citations per paper. The average number of authors per paper was 0.76 and the average productivity per author was 1.33. The most productive journal was Drug Safety with a total of 74 papers. France has the highest number of publications with a total of 251 papers accounting for 19.73%. Uppsala Monitoring Center, Sweden dominated in research productivity on PV with a proportion of 1.89% papers. There is a considerable research output in the areas of medicine accounting for 77.43% of total publications. Practical implications The outcome of the study may help regulators, drug manufacturers, medical scientists and health-care professionals to identify the progress in PV research. In addition, it will also help to identify the prolific authors, journals, institutions and countries/territories in the development of research. Social implications PV across the globe has become an important public health issue concerning to regulators, drug manufacturers and health-care professionals, therefore, it is feasible to know the research landscape to safeguard of public health. Originality/value The investigation is the first attempt to the scientometric assessment of PV research output at the global level.