Safety Pharmacology Society

The Safety Pharmacology Society (SPS) is a scientific society fostering best practice around the discipline of safety pharmacology. The society has a mission statement which declares it is a nonprofit organization that promotes knowledge, development, application, and training in safety pharmacology—a distinct scientific discipline that integrates the best practices of pharmacology, physiology and toxicology. The objective of Safety Pharmacology studies is to further the discovery, development and safe use of biologically active chemical entities by the identification, monitoring and characterization of potentially undesirable pharmacodynamic activities in nonclinical studies. The Safety Pharmacology Society also supports the human safety of drugs and biologicals by fostering scientific research, education, and dissemination of scientific information through meetings and other scientific interactions.

The Safety Pharmacology Society was incorporated in 2001, at the time when the International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH) was issuing ICH S7A a regulatory guidance covering safety pharmacology and writing ICH S7B which is more specific to potential effects of new drugs on cardiac repolarization. Prior to 2001 many of the same scientific experts met once a year in Philadelphia as the GP/SP special interest group. The historical birth of safety pharmacology is described by. Two of the authors Alan Bass and Lewis Kinter are previous presidents of the Safety Pharmacology Society.

The Safety Pharmacology Society, known by members as SPS, is an international society having members across the globe and reaches out internationally through meetings, webinars and publications. The society provides a number of resources which are available to members and nonmembers; members clearly enjoy the widest benefits. The Safety Pharmacology Society offers certification as Diplomate in Safety Pharmacology (DSP). The certification examination is offered at the annual society meeting.

The Safety Pharmacology Society organizes a number of meetings annually. There is an annual meeting in September each year. This meeting has alternated between the United States and Europe. Recent meetings have been held in: