Peter Stephens, PhD

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Email: PStephens@uk.imshealth.com

Peter Stephens, PhD, has worked for IMS Health for 17 years, and is affiliated with the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmaceutical Policy Analysis, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS), Utrecht, The Netherlands. He has previously worked for a pharmaceutical advertising agency and as a representative and brand manager at Beecham Research. He received a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Pharmaceutical Policy at Utrecht University in the Netherlands in 2015, a Master’s Degree with Distinction in Marketing in 1995 and a Bachelor of Arts in Archaeology in 1985. Peter leads IMS’ collaboration with Medicines for Malaria Venture to build the national regulatory authorities’ capacity in Zambia and Uganda to collect, interpret and use pharmaceutical data to aid policy development and pharmacovigilance. Peter works with colleagues at IMS with UNITAID to help build a market intelligence system that will provide comprehensive access to timely, high quality information in the product areas in which UNITAID works. He has worked extensively on IMS’ systems to protect doctor patient confidentiality and became a Core Member of the UK Anonymisation Network. Peter works with academic institutions, government bodies and multilateral agencies to help understand the impact of pharmaceutical policies on access to medicines, with a recent research focus on the impact of gender, age and deprivation on access to medicines in both developed and lower income countries. Projects have included helping the World Health Organisation track the impact of the economic crisis on the consumption of medicines, and work for a joint Department of Health, NHS and Industry group to understand the extent and reasons for variation in uptake of medicines recommended by the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence.

Recent publications by Peter Stephens:

Stephens P, Thomson D. The Cancer Drug Fund 1 year on—success or failure. Lancet Oncol. 2012;13(8):754‐7.

Stephens P. Vaccine R&D: Past performance is no guide to the future. Vaccine 2014; 32(19):2139‐42.

Stephens P, Leufkens HG. The impact of patient and doctor characteristics on the prescribing of low cost generic formulations in Brazil. Journal of Generic Medicines 2015; 11 (3‐4); 108‐115.

Stephens P, Chikh K, Leufkens HG. Prescribing of antipsychotics in people with dementia in acute general hospitals in England: 2010‐2012. European Geriatric Medicine 2014; 5(6): Pages 394–398.