Statutes of the Laboratory and Medicines Control Section
The current statutes of the Laboratory and Medicines Control Section were adopted by the FIP Council.
Click here to download the pdf file of these statutes
ARTICLE 1 - Section name
Section 1
The Section shall be constituted in accordance with Article 1 of the Statutes of the International Pharmaceutical Federation (hereafter called FIP).
Section 2
The Section shall be known as Section of Official Laboratories and Medicines Control Services hereafter called OLMCS.
Section 3
Executive action by the Section which may commit FIP shall be referred to the Board of Pharmaceutical Practice.
ARTICLE 2 - Mission
The mission of OLMCS is to undertake and coordinate the research and development of methods, to establish principles for assuring the quality of pharmaceutical products both nationally and internationally and to exchange information and opinions upon technical and professional questions pertaining to medicines control.
In order to achieve its mission OLMCS may undertake all or any of the following activities:
- Organise specialised technical, professional and scientific conferences with the Board of Pharmaceutical Practice ( BPP) and Board of Pharmaceutical Sciences (BPS) as well as with other Sections and organisations outside FIP.
- Develop activities for Special Working Groups independently or in collaboration with other Sections.
- Develop recommendations and guidelines in the field of quality of medicines subject to approval of the BPP, BPS and FIP´s council.
- Organize local Section meetings.
- Initiate collaborative studies on quality of medicines.
- Act as an information centre in the field of quality of medicines.
ARTICLE 3 - Granting of membership
Section 1
Membership of OLMCS shall be open to both individual members and honorary members of FIP who work in the area of activities covered by Article 2 or who have an interest in those activities.
Membership may, upon the decision of the Section, be open to Collective and Supporting members of FIP.
Section 2
Subject to the approval of FIP´s Council, the Section may charge a fee for membership. Different fees may be charged to different categories of FIP members.
ARTICLE 4 - Loss of Membership
Membership will cease under one of the following circumstances.
- When a person or organisation cease to be a member of FIP.
- Where, whilst remaining a member of FIP, a person or organisation is more than one year in arrears with Section membership fees.
- Where membership person or organisation, in the opinion of the Executive Committee, is acting in a way inconsistent with the Mission of the Section. A person adversely affected by such a decision shall have the right of appeal to the next Assembly of Members.
ARTICLE 5 - Organs of the Section
Section 1
These shall consist of an Executive Committee and an Assembly of Members. In addition a Section may also have an Advisory Committee as described below.
ARTICLE 6 - Executive Committee
Section 1
The Executive Committee shall consist of the President, Secretary, Treasurer, Immediate Past President and between three and six Section Members.
The Terms of Office of the Executive Members (except the Immediate Past President) shall be 4 years with the possibility of re-election for a further 4 year term.
The Immediate Past President shall assume that office upon the appointment of his successor and will remain in office for the duration of the term of office of his successor.
Section 2
The functions of the Executive Committee are:
- To implement the decisions of the Assembly.
- To facilitate relations between OLMCS and the BPP, BPS and other Sections.
- To propose to the Assembly of Members candidates for membership of the Executive Committeé.
- To decide on and organize the Section program within and outside FIP congresses, conferences and workshops.
- To recommend the establishment of new Working Groups.
- To nominate experts and observers for special activities.
- To circulate information to Section members and to publish information on activities of OLMCS.
- To manage the finance of the Section.
- To update the list of members annually.
Section 3
The Executive Committee shall meet at least once per year.
ARTICLE 7 - Advisory Committee
Section 1
OLMCS may create an Advisory Committee. The Committee shall consist of one representative from each country who is nominated either by the Section members from that country or, where this is impractical, by the Executive Committee.
Section 2
The Advisory Committee shall have the following functions.
- To support the Executive Committee in its activities.
- To promote and support activities of the Section.
- To represent a link between the Executive Committee and member of the specific country.
Section 3
The Advisory Committee shall normally meet annually but, in any event, shall meet at least once every two years.
ARTICLE 8 - Assembly of Members
Section 1
The Assembly of Members is composed of all members of the Section, present at the Assembly and acting in an individual capacity.
Section 2
The Assembly shall meet at least every second year on the occasion of the Annual FIP Congress.
Section 3
The principal purpose of the Assembly is to elect the Executive Committee members and to approve the general policy of the Section. Decisions taken by the Assembly shall be by simple majority of members present at the meeting. In the event of a tied vote, the President of the Section (as Chairman of the meeting) shall have a casting vote.
Section 4
All Section Members shall receive notice of an Assembly, in writing, at least 3 weeks before the Assembly takes place.
ARTICLE 9 - Representation
Section 1
OLMCS shall be represented by the President or, in his absence by someone appointed by the Executive Committee, at meetings of the FIP Council.
Section 2
The President and Secretary are ex-officio members of the Board of Pharmaceutical Practice (BPP). If a Section has more than 500 members, the Executive Committee shall appoint an additional member to serve on BPP. Such appointment shall be valid for a period not exceeding one year and is renewable.
ARTICLE 10 - Honorary Membership
An individual who has given outstanding services to the Section may be elected as an Honorary Member. This shall be done at an Assembly of Members. The privileges of honorary membership shall be decided by the Executive Committee. Honorary Members shall pay no Section fee but honorary membership shall cease in the event that the person ceases to be a member of FIP.
ARTICLE 11 - Finance
The Treasurer of OLMCS is responsible for preparing an annual budget. The income shall consist of Section fees together with the net profit from conferences or other activities organised by the Section, donations and voluntary contributions from individuals and pharmaceutical companies. The annual accounts shall be audited and a copy sent to the Treasurer of FIP, normally before March 1. The accounting year shall be January 1 to December 31.
ARTICLE 12 - Amendments to the Statutes of the Section
The members of OLMCS may amend or repeal any of the Articles of the Section Statutes. Any proposed amendments or repeal shall be circulated to all Section members, in writing, at least two months prior to the Assembly of Members. The proposal shall be adopted by a simple majority of votes cast by the members present at the Assembly of Members.
ARTICLE 13 - Dissolution
A proposal to dissolve the Section shall be adopted by the affirmative vote of two thirds of the votes cast by the membership present at a special meeting called for that propose. In the event of dissolution of the Section, all assets shall pass to FIP. The Section may, if it so wishes, indicate to FIP any use that Section assets should be put subsequent to dissolution.
ARTICLE 14 - Annual Activity Report
The Secretary shall prepare, and submit, before March 1 a report to the General Secretary of FIP giving appropriate details of the Section activities for the proceeding year.
ARTICLE 15 - Developing Countries
As part of its work OLMCS shall pay particular attention to the needs of developing countries. Wherever practical members from developing countries should be represented in Section activities.
ARTICLE 16 - Working Group
OLMCS may form and disband Working Groups for specific purposes. A proposal to form a Working Group should include details of the purpose for which the Working Group is to be formed, its goals and objectives, a means of measuring the achievement of these goals and objectives and an estimated time span of the Working Group. The Chairman and members of such Working Groups shall be appointed by the Executive Committee.
ARTICLE 17 - Effective Dates
Changes to the Section Statutes, dissolution of the Section and the Section membership fee all require approval of the FIP Council. The effective date for implementing any of these decisions shall be the date approved by the Council of FIP or, if none is given, then date of the Council Meeting at which approval is given.
ARTICLE 18 - Correspondence Address
The official address for correspondence shall be the address of the Secretary of the Section.
ARTICLE 19 - General
Nothing in these Statutes shall be interpreted in such a way as to conflict with the Statutes of FIP and no decision of OLMCS shall be effective if its implementation conflicts with the Statutes of FIP.
