The Department of Physiology and Pharmacology "Vittorio Erspamer" was established in 2000 by the merger of the Institute of Human Physiology and the Institute of Medical Pharmacology.

In 2005, the Department of Pharmacology of Natural Substances and General Pharmacology merged into it. The Department now groups about 50 scholars including professors and researchers belonging to different research areas: Physiology, Pharmacology, Pharmacognosy and Sports Medicine.

The scientific disciplinary fields of the afferent professors are: BIO/09 (Physiology), BIO/14 (Pharmacology and Pharmacognosy) and M-EDF/01 (Methods and Didactics of Motor Activities).