The European Center of Pharmaceutical Medicine (ECPM) has established a reputation as one of the premier European training centers in Pharmaceutical Medicine. The ECPM training platform offers undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate training on three different levels in the field of Pharmaceutical Medicine/Drug Development Sciences.

It was founded in 1991 by Prof. Dr. med. Dr. h.c. Fritz R. Buehler to cover the training needs of specialists working in drug development. The curriculum provides a holistic understanding of the drug development process from molecule to market as well as key concepts in regulatory science and marketing. Following the foundation of the institute Prof. Buehler initiated the foundation of the Swiss Association of Pharmaceutical Professionals (SwAPP) in 1995 - as the professional association for qualified specialists working in one of the many fields of pharmaceutical medicine and drug development and the Swiss Society of Pharmaceutical Physicians (SGPM) in 1997 to launch the specialist title.

In 2003, ECPM established an internationally recognized academic research institution with a focus on pharmaceutical related and health care related research. ECPM's research activities focus on the health economic characteristics, cost-benefit implications and efficient use (e.g. guided by predictive testing or risk stratification models) of pharmaceuticals and other health care interventions in Switzerland and internationally.

In 2009, the institute was integrated into the University of Basel upon the inauguration of the Professorship in Pharmaceutical Medicine. ECPM today belongs to the Department of Public Health within the Medical Faculty.

ECPM and the University of Basel had the coordinating role in PharmaTrain, an Education and Training project of the European Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) from 2009 to 2014. This project had the aim to foster and harmonize the content and the quality of training in pharmaceutical medicine and drug development sciences throughout Europe. Upon completion of the project, the PharmaTrain Federation was set up as a platform to ensure continuing collaboration of the founding universities.

In January 2012 ECPM received the “Centre of Excellence” accreditation by the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) PharmaTrain Executive Board. Re-accreditation was received in 2018. All ECPM courses are accredited by IMI PharmaTrain and the International Federation of Associations of Pharmaceutical Physicians (IFAPP) by following the agreed syllabus and quality assurance, and are certified by the University of Basel within the Bologna Title System.

Since September 2018, the CAS/DAS in Pharmaceutical Medicine is recognized by Swissethics as investigator and sponsor-investigator training in research ethics and Good Clinical Practice (GCP).

The 30th anniversary celebration was originally planned for June 2021. Due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, the ECPM will commemorate its 30th anniversary in June 2022 with a celebration event in Basel.