ANF establishes Health Ethics Committee for Portuguese Pharmacies

On July 28^th, ANF took a step further in the field of scientific research and innovation with the formal establishment of the Health Ethics Committee for Portuguese Pharmacies (CESFP), which held its first plenary meeting.

Independent, multidisciplinary and advisory in nature, the new committee is tasked with promoting and ensuring the highest ethical standards in research and healthcare provision within community pharmacies, while supporting the development of scientific research and innovation in real-world settings.

«The creation of this Ethics Committee represents a natural step in the scientific maturity of the sector and provides assurance that research conducted in this context will continue to meet the highest standards of ethics and scientific integrity», said ANF President. Ema Paulino highlighted that pharmacies are now «settings for healthcare provision, clinical follow-up, prevention and, increasingly, the generation of health knowledge».

This development reflects the increasingly important role of pharmacies in generating health knowledge. «The close relationship between pharmacies and their communities creates unique opportunities to generate knowledge that is relevant both to people and to the healthcare system», reiterated CESFP President Amílcar Falcão.

As he explained, there is «a responsibility associated with applying this scientific knowledge to clinical practice and healthcare», and the mission of the new committee will be «to ensure that this potential for knowledge generation is developed with full respect for fundamental ethical principles, an essential condition for safeguarding the quality, credibility and trust that society places in science».

Chaired by Amílcar Falcão, with Jaime Correia de Sousa serving as Vice-President, the CESFP comprises 11 members. The Committee also includes Ana Margarida Advinha, Carmen Monteiro, Domingos Ferreira, Filipa Alves da Costa, Gilberto Alves, Jaime Melancia, Luís Reis Sobral, Mara de Sousa Freitas and Ricardo Mexia.