01 September 2010

FIP ELECTS NEW PRESIDENT

On Saturday, 29 August the Council of the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) met under the occasion of the 70th World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in Lisbon, Portugal to elect Dr Michel Buchmann (Switzerland) as the new FIP President. Dr Buchmann will serve a four year term (to 2014) following the Presidency of Dr Kamal K. Midha, who will carry on as FIP Immediate Past President.

Dr Buchmann is assuming the role of FIP president after extensive experience within FIP Boards, community pharmacy practice and Swiss politics. In his remarks following the release of the Election Results Dr Buchmann reiterated his commitment to advancing FIP's Strategic Plan to advance pharmacy practice, the pharmaceutical sciences and pharmacy education on a global level.

In addition, FIP is pleased to welcome almost 3000 participants from 116 countries to the 2010 Congress, the largest pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences event in the world. The first days have already resulted in key developments for FIP and its global partners, such as the launch of the inaugural Deans Forum of the FIP Academic Institutional Membership (AIM) which serves to connect leaders of Academic Pharmacy Institutes on a global platform of faculty growth and expansion.

Please see further news items below for more information on Congress events and news.

31 August 2010

FIP-UNESCO University Twinning Network for Pharmacists formally Approved by UNESCO

On Tuesday 31st August, the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) launched a unique global University Twinning and Networking Programme. The Global Pharmacy Education Development network is a UNESCO sponsored initiative hosted under the UNITWIN scheme (for university-twinning). This UNITWIN collaboration is the first ever in the field of higher education for health professionals and the first for global pharmaceutical education.

In bringing together pharmacy schools from all regions of the world with UNESCO and FIP, the UNITWIN Network in Global Pharmacy Education Development (G-PhEd) will enable synchronised and powerful development in pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences education and improve communication for scientific innovation, healthcare outcomes, and ultimately, the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Dr Kamal Midha, President of FIP, said of the collaboration "this is an opportunity to make a powerful impact on educational development by bringing together like-minded institutions worldwide, under the unique stewardship that FIP can offer. I am happy that I have been able to guide the development of this project, which fits with the key strategic direction of FIP in the field of global education in our profession as pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists." FIP, as the global federation bringing together pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists, is leading in fostering pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences education development through its various initiatives and projects.

"It has been a great pleasure to be associated with the development of this special collaborative project" said Project Lead, Professor Ian Bates of the FIP Collaborating Centre at the University of London. "I acknowledge the great efforts of the FIP Taskforce team in bringing this about, and also the vision and dedication to my UNESCO colleagues who have stewarded this project towards this official endorsement today".

"Because of the nature and flexibility of UNESCO's global UNITWIN Programme, higher education institutions can respond more readily to the demands for new learning and research in a world undergoing rapid economic, social and technological change", adds Sonia Bahri, Chief of Section for International Cooperation in Higher Education at UNESCO. "We are delighted to announce the launch of this new UNITWIN Network which stands to make a unique contribution in the field of global pharmacy education"

The UNITWIN G-PhEd will act as a new mechanism for the work of the FIP Pharmacy Education Taskforce, which has been dedicated to developing tools and resources to help tackle challenges of academic capacity, quality assurance of educational systems and workforce competency in both high-resource and low-resource pharmacy education institutions.

G-PhEd Network will foster and encourage a focus on developing relations between the global ‘North' and ‘South' in order to establish a resource base and collaborative forum for exchange, research and capacity building in education. In addition, the GPhEd will actively foster excellence in learning and teaching and seek to establish global centres of excellence in the field of higher education, spanning the full scope of undergraduate training and continuing pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences education.

The network will operate from the FIP Collaborating Centre at the School of Pharmacy, University of London. Initially, the UNITWIN network will partner more than 20 universities in 14 countries, with an intent to expand to new members in the initial phase of operation.

"I am very pleased that the school has been able to play a part in supporting this exciting initiative. Importantly it is not UK-centric, rather it brings together pharmacy education from across the globe." said Professor Anthony Smith, Dean of the School of Pharmacy, University of London.

As the health professionals who have expertise in the development of, access to and optimal use of medicines, pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists are vital to tackling problems such as development of needed medicines, medicines shortages and ensuring appropriate use of medicines for diseases like diabetes, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. Placing an emphasis on pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences education can help alleviate these problems and thereby leading to improving healthcare outcomes, and attaining the health-related Millennium Development Goals.

The UNESCO UNITWIN programme seeks to advance research, training and programme development in higher education by building university networks and encouraging inter-university cooperation worldwide. UNITWIN Networks are established through a memorandum of understanding with UNESCO. These networks become poles of excellence and innovation that actively contribute to the development of their respective fields at national, regional and international levels.

Contact
To find out more about the UNITWIN G-PhEd Network, please contact education@fip.org.

30 August 2010

FIP and Pfizer Launch Joint Survey at the FIP Congress LIsbon

30 August 2010, FIP Congress Lisbon, Portugal

A new international survey shows that over 90% of pharmacists believe they are key to improving patients' health, and while most pharmacists surveyed see their responsibilities increasing, they voice concerns on training and pay. The survey shows that almost 3 in 4 pharmacists (73%) now provide patients with health promotion and management services. Nearly all (9 in 10) pharmacists agree that more information and advice - including on specific medications and treatments - are expected from pharmacists than ever before. However most pharmacists (78%) say that they are asked to provide additional services, such as advice, without fair and proper compensation.

"Pharmacists' roles are changing, and we find ourselves increasingly working with patients and other healthcare professionals to prevent and treat disease. This survey shows that pharmacists welcome this expanded role, as it highlights what they like doing most - helping deliver better patient outcomes - while increasing visibility of pharmacists' expertise. However, we also see an education and income gap that will need to be closed to ensure the pressure on current pharmacists isn't too great, and so that we can continue to attract the best and brightest to the profession in the future," said Ton Hoek, Chief Executive Officer of the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP). Other results of the survey show the degree to which pharmacists are concerned about the counterfeit medicines issue.
• A solid majority (61%) say the prevalence of counterfeit medication is a serious issue in their country
• A solid majority (63%) believe current policies and technology are insufficient to deal with counterfeit medicines
• Most (77%) believe medicine packages should have machine readable bar codes to ensure they are not counterfeit

Pfizer Inc. in collaboration with the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) commissioned APCO Insight to conduct an international survey to better understand the needs, concerns and attitudes of pharmacists. Interviews were held with over 2,000 community, retail and hospital pharmacists in 8 countries (Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Turkey, the UK and the U.S.) between April and June 2010.

"Clearly pharmacists and the pharmaceutical industry share some similar concerns relative to patient's health. We both want to ensure that pharmacists have the right knowledge and tools to educate patients about their medicine as well as to ensure patients receive safe, effective and quality medicines, not counterfeit ones. Pfizer looks forward to continuing to support, through appropriate channels, pharmacist education programs that will ultimately translate into better outcomes for patients and healthcare systems, globally", commented Dr. Emma Andrews, Director of External Medical Affairs.

Click here to view a presentation on the survey data.
Click here to view the official Survey brochure.

For more information and for national data please contact Mr Luc Besançon at luc@fip.org