Science Explorer Interactive view Map
Subfield · Medicine

Pharmacology research

Pharmacology is a subfield of Medicine. Science Explorer counts 533k research works in it since 1950. 17.7% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.

In short: branch of biology concerning drugs.

Research works
533k
fractional, since 1950
In the world top 10%
94k
per year above
Top-10% rate
17.7%
share of its works in the world top 10%
Topics
22
Growth, 2013–17 → 2018–22
+17%
the tick is no change

This ranks research output and citation impact. It says nothing about the quality of diagnosis, treatment or care.

What is Pharmacology research about, and what is growing?

By the world's output in 2019–23, its most used keywords are Clinical Trials, Chronic Pain, Global Burden, Anti-inflammatory, Antioxidant Activity, Drug Discovery. Gaining share since 2009–13: Caffeine, Coffee, Antibody-Catalyzed Ozone Formation, Ozone Therapy, Cannabinoid Receptors. Losing share: Bee Venom, Melittin, Flavonoids, Cyclooxygenase-2 Inhibitors.

▲ gaining share of this field◆ holding its share▼ losing share

Size is the world's fractional works in 2019–23 in the topics tagged with each word; colour compares the word's share of this field with 2009–13. Each links to the topic it comes from most.

All 40 words, with their numbers
  1. Clinical Trials23k▲ 1.22×2 topics
  2. Chronic Pain19k▲ 1.29×1 topic
  3. Global Burden19k▲ 1.29×1 topic
  4. Anti-inflammatory14k▼ 0.71×6 topics
  5. Antioxidant Activity13k◆ 1.04×2 topics
  6. Drug Discovery9,716▼ 0.76×2 topics
  7. Medicinal Mushrooms8,920◆ 0.87×1 topic
  8. Polysaccharides8,920◆ 0.87×1 topic
  9. Cannabinoid Receptors8,570▲ 1.65×1 topic
  10. Endocannabinoid System8,570▲ 1.65×1 topic
  11. Antibiotic Pharmacokinetics8,285◆ 1.07×1 topic
  12. Critically Ill Patients8,285◆ 1.07×1 topic
  13. Pharmacology8,012▲ 1.19×2 topics
  14. Natural Products7,505◆ 1.04×1 topic
  15. Secondary Metabolites7,505◆ 1.04×1 topic
  16. Cancer7,229▼ 0.74×2 topics
  17. Inflammation7,229▼ 0.74×2 topics
  18. Obesity6,346◆ 1.00×2 topics
  19. Neuroprotective6,260▼ 0.84×3 topics
  20. Traditional Medicine6,211▲ 1.27×3 topics
  21. Acetylcholinesterase5,813◆ 1.07×1 topic
  22. Cholinesterase Inhibitors5,813◆ 1.07×1 topic
  23. Antidepressant5,622◆ 1.01×1 topic
  24. Depression5,622◆ 1.01×1 topic
  25. Flavonoids5,488▼ 0.53×3 topics
  26. HLA-B*57015,324▲ 1.32×1 topic
  27. Stevens-Johnson Syndrome5,324▲ 1.32×1 topic
  28. Cyclooxygenase-2 Inhibitors5,030▼ 0.59×1 topic
  29. Prostaglandins5,030▼ 0.59×1 topic
  30. Anticancer4,729▼ 0.85×2 topics
  31. Bee Venom4,267▼ 0.44×1 topic
  32. Melittin4,267▼ 0.44×1 topic
  33. Pharmacotherapy3,998◆ 0.95×1 topic
  34. Weight Loss3,998◆ 0.95×1 topic
  35. Caffeine3,767▲ 1.95×1 topic
  36. Coffee3,767▲ 1.95×1 topic
  37. Antibody-Catalyzed Ozone Formation3,512▲ 1.78×1 topic
  38. Ozone Therapy3,512▲ 1.78×1 topic
  39. Alkaloids2,414▲ 1.27×1 topic
  40. Berberine2,414▲ 1.27×1 topic

Which countries lead Pharmacology research?

On research quality in 2022–2025, China, the United States and India rank highest in Pharmacology. By volume, China and the United States publish the most (16k and 14k works in 2022–2025).

By research quality, 2022–2025

  1. 1 China · #3 all time 25.9% top 10% · 16k works
  2. 2 United States · #1 all time 16.9% top 10% · 14k works
  3. 3 India · #10 all time 12.2% top 10% · 7.4k works
  4. 4 United Kingdom · #2 all time 19.9% top 10% · 2.4k works
  5. 5 Italy · #6 all time 26.0% top 10% · 2.2k works
  6. 6 Australia · #7 all time 23.5% top 10% · 1.6k works
  7. 7 Canada · #5 all time 20.7% top 10% · 2k works
  8. 8 Germany · #4 all time 18.3% top 10% · 2.4k works
  9. 9 Spain · #11 all time 16.4% top 10% · 2k works
  10. 10 Brazil · #15 all time 11.8% top 10% · 2.9k works

The track on each row is that row’s top-10% rate. The ranking itself is the composite score, which the rate is only one part of.

Of 55 countries ranked in Pharmacology. Composite of field-normalised excellence (50%), output (30%) and citations (20%); the bracket is the all-time rank.

All countries ranked in Pharmacology

By volume, 2022–2025

  1. 1 China 16k works
  2. 2 United States 14k works
  3. 3 India 7.4k works
  4. 4 Brazil 2.9k works
  5. 5 Japan 2.5k works
  6. 6 United Kingdom 2.4k works
  7. 7 Germany 2.4k works
  8. 8 Türkiye 2.4k works
  9. 9 Indonesia 2.4k works
  10. 10 Italy 2.2k works

How concentrated that is

The same countries as shares of everything the list above accounts for. A node where two countries do two thirds of the work and one spread evenly across twelve read alike as a ranking and not at all alike here.

China: 28.9%United States: 25.9%India: 13.7%Brazil: 5.3%6 others listed: 26.2%29%largest
China16k · 28.9%United States14k · 25.9%India7,415 · 13.7%Brazil2,860 · 5.3%6 others listed14k · 26.2%

Shares of the rows listed above, not of the whole node.

Which institutions lead Pharmacology research?

Harvard University (United States) ranks first in Pharmacology on research quality in 2022–2025, followed by Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College.

By research quality, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Harvard University United States · Cambridge · #1 all time 26.6% top 10% · 167 works
  2. 2 Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine China · Chengdu 38.2% top 10% · 152 works
  3. 3 Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College China · Beijing · #50 all time 24.1% top 10% · 289 works
  4. 4 Chinese Academy of Sciences China · Beijing · #47 all time 27.9% top 10% · 199 works
  5. 5 Yale University United States · New Haven · #4 all time 24.6% top 10% · 119 works
  6. 6 University of Toronto Canada · Toronto · #13 all time 22.5% top 10% · 160 works
  7. 7 Sichuan University China · Chengdu 29.1% top 10% · 122 works
  8. 8 Zhejiang University China · Hangzhou 31.7% top 10% · 117 works
  9. 9 Zhejiang Chinese Medical University China · Hangzhou 28.1% top 10% · 103 works
  10. 10 Sun Yat-sen University China · Guangzhou 26.9% top 10% · 127 works

The track on each row is that row’s top-10% rate. The ranking itself is the composite score, which the rate is only one part of.

Of 146 institutions above the floor of 40 fractional works in Pharmacology.

Top 100 Pharmacology institutions

By volume, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College China 289 works
  2. 2 Cairo University Egypt 214 works
  3. 3 Chinese Academy of Sciences China 199 works
  4. 4 Universidade de São Paulo Brazil 168 works
  5. 5 Harvard University United States 167 works
  6. 6 University of Toronto Canada 160 works
  7. 7 King Saud University Saudi Arabia 157 works
  8. 8 Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine China 152 works
  9. 9 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill United States 143 works
  10. 10 University of Florida United States 135 works

Who are the leading researchers in Pharmacology?

Among the most productive authors in Pharmacology, Roger Chou, Giuseppe Remuzzi and Josep María Haro rank highest on the composite score.

  1. 1 Roger Chou United States · #6 worldwide 14k citations · 187 works
  2. 2 Giuseppe Remuzzi Italy · #34 worldwide 8.1k citations · 312 works
  3. 3 Josep María Haro Spain · #63 worldwide 6.4k citations · 180 works
  4. 4 Louisa Degenhardt Australia · #80 worldwide 5.7k citations · 164 works
  5. 5 Philip B. Mitchell Australia · #134 worldwide 3.7k citations · 146 works
  6. 6 Cyrus Cooper United Kingdom · #144 worldwide 7.2k citations · 486 works
  7. 7 Rachelle Buchbinder Australia · #147 worldwide 3.5k citations · 131 works
  8. 8 Félix Carvalho Portugal · #172 worldwide 4.6k citations · 125 works
  9. 9 Bharat B. Aggarwal United States · #202 worldwide 4.2k citations · 117 works
  10. 10 Flavia Cicuttini Australia · #232 worldwide 3.2k citations · 152 works

Re-ranked on the composite score from the 5,275 highest-output authors in Pharmacology. Identities come from OpenAlex author disambiguation, which occasionally merges or splits people.

Top 100 Pharmacology researchers

Where is Pharmacology research done?

The largest centres of Pharmacology research in 2022–2025 are Beijing (China), Shanghai (China), Guangzhou (China) and Seoul (South Korea). Among places with at least 20 works in it, it is an unusually large share of all research in Manizales, North Liberty and Chiang Rai.

Largest cities, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Beijing China 2.2k works
  2. 2 Shanghai China 1k works
  3. 3 Guangzhou China 929 works
  4. 4 Seoul South Korea 808 works
  5. 5 London United Kingdom 707 works
  6. 6 Tokyo Japan 702 works
  7. 7 Tehran Iran 674 works
  8. 8 Nanjing China 660 works
  9. 9 Hangzhou China 653 works
  10. 10 Moscow Russia 627 works

Where it is the local speciality

  1. Manizales45.0 works61×
  2. North LibertyUS · 23.0 works33×
  3. Chiang RaiTH · 38.1 works8.1×
← less than its size predicts1×more →

Location quotient: how much more of its research is in Pharmacology than the world average.

See Pharmacology on the map

Pharmacology research by country

The best places for Pharmacology research inside each country, with that country's researchers and world standing.

Where is the best place to study Pharmacology?

Among universities, judged by research, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Mae Fah Luang University and Shenyang Pharmaceutical University score highest, combining excellence, specialisation, size, growth and international reach. Research strength is one signal when choosing where to study; it does not measure teaching.

0%20%40%mean 27.5%fractional works in this node (log) →share in the world top 10% →Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine: 152, 38.2%Mae Fah Luang University: 36, 24.9%Shenyang Pharmaceutical University: 86, 30.2%Zunyi Medical University: 75, 34.4%Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College: 289, 24.1%Al-Azhar University: 94, 23.7%Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine: 124, 24.4%Beijing University of Chinese Medicine: 122, 21.4%King Saud University: 157, 24.9%King Khalid University: 58, 28.8%Chengdu University o…Zunyi Medical Univer…Shenyang Pharmaceuti…Mae Fah Luang Univer…
above the meannear itbelow it

One dot per university in the table below. The upper left is the interesting corner: small places doing unusually strong work.

#UniversityScoreTop 10%SpecialisationWorksGrowth
1Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine China 61.438.2%8.2×152 -53.8%
2Mae Fah Luang University Thailand 60.324.9%9.2×36 +223.8%
3Shenyang Pharmaceutical University China 51.030.2%7.8×86 -25.8%
4Zunyi Medical University China 49.334.4%5.8×75 +8.3%
5Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College China 49.024.1%3.6×289 -15.8%
6Al-Azhar University Egypt 48.823.7%2.9×94 +143.4%
7Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine China 48.724.4%7.7×124 -50.2%
8Beijing University of Chinese Medicine China 48.621.4%8.4×122 -45.8%
9King Saud University Saudi Arabia 48.424.9%2.0×157 +30.7%
10King Khalid University Saudi Arabia 47.928.8%1.9×58 +104.3%

Universities only. Score blends excellence (30%), specialisation (25%), size (20%), growth (15%) and international reach (10%), 2015–2022; growth compares 2010–14 with 2015–19.

Is Pharmacology research growing?

Output in 2018–2022 was 17% higher than in 2013–2017, peaking in 2025. The fastest-growing topics are Philosophy, Health, and Society, Coffee research and impacts and Pharmacological Effects of Medicinal Plants.

19801990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon — one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Which topics inside it are moving

Growth and decline on one axis around a shared zero. Two lists side by side hide the thing that matters: whether the growth dwarfs the decline, or the other way round.

  1. Philosophy, Health, and Society+294%
  2. Coffee research and impacts+175%
  3. Pharmacological Effects of Medicinal Plants+143%
  4. Medical and Biological Ozone Research+124%
  5. Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation+98%
  6. Berberine and alkaloids research+98%
  7. Inflammatory mediators and NSAID effects-13%
  8. Healthcare and Venom Research-14%
  9. Synthesis of Organic Compounds-21%
← shrinkingno changegrowing →

Growth in output from 2005–09 to 2015–19. Every topic is a page of its own.

What does Pharmacology include?

Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation: 77k fractional worksAntibiotics Pharmacokinetics and Efficacy: 50k fractional worksFungal Biology and Applications: 45k fractional worksInflammatory mediators and NSAID effects: 42k fractional worksMicrobial Natural Products and Biosynthesis: 39k fractional worksCannabis and Cannabinoid Research: 32k fractional worksCholinesterase and Neurodegenerative Diseases: 31k fractional worksTreatment of Major Depression: 31k fractional worksHealthcare and Venom Research: 29k fractional worksPharmacology and Obesity Treatment: 25k fractional worksSynthesis of Organic Compounds: 24k fractional worksDrug-Induced Adverse Reactions: 24k fractional works

Area is fractional works in that topic. Every name below is a page of its own.