Mission
To provide a forum for those interested in medicines research.

The formation of the SMR
The origins of the Society can be traced back to a symposium organised by members of the Pharmacy Department of Chelsea College, London in April 1965. Entitled “Interactions of Drugs with Receptors”, it received much acclaim and brought participants from many countries. When many of the papers presented at the Symposium were published, the need for a multidisciplinary approach to drug discovery became clear. This provided the drive for a group of scientists (predominantly medicinal chemists) to work towards establishing an organisation dedicated to encouraging interdisciplinary approaches to drug research.

Scientists interested in drug research were invited to become members. In May 1966, it was decided that the group should be called the Society for Drug Research. The inaugural meeting was held on 28th September, 1966 at 17 Bloomsbury Square, in the Hall of the Royal Pharmacological Society of Great Britain. The first need was for cash and £300 was raised from a number of companies (a maximum of £5 was requested from each company approached), which, together with the generous support of the Royal Pharmacological Society, provided the sound footing to establish the Society. Since then, it has organised 3 to 4 one-day meetings a year, usually in London.

It also organised a number of residential meetings (both in and outside of London) and has recently introduced a system of holding a meeting at Pharmaceutical companies every two years. The first major residential meeting was held in London in 1969. Entitled simply “Medicinal Chemistry”, it attracted nearly 300 delegates. The Society gained Charitable Status in 1977 and changed its name to the “Society for Medicines Research” in 1994.


Please click here to download a brief history of the Society for Medicines Research

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