ANF highlights pharmacies' role in Public Health during FIP World Congress

The recent professional developments in portuguese community pharmacies, as well as the growing role of pharmacists in Public Health and therapeutic management, were highlighted at the 83rd FIP World Congress. The event took place from August 31 to September 3 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The presentation was given by the President of ANF, Ema Paulino, in the panel "Sharing ideas of member organisations: National Association of Pharmacies, Portugal & Brazilian Federal Council of Pharmacy, Brazil", on the last day of the Congress. Among the advancements presented were:

• The dispensing of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention in pharmacies, allowing earlier and wider access to preventive treatments;
• The reinforcement of the pharmacies' role in diabetes management, with the provision of insulin pumps;
• The dispensing of hospital medicines in community pharmacies, promoting the decentralization of care and improving treatment adherence and continuity;
• The introduction of bimonthly dispensing of chronic therapy, based on the analysis of prescription and dispensing history, allowing more effective intervention by pharmacists in monitoring adherence and resolving therapy-related problems.

ANF organized two other sessions throughout the event. On September 1, the President presented a vision on sore throat management, addressing the patient's journey from the first symptoms to progression to moderate or severe pain, in the panel "Advances in Sore Throat Management: Insights from new Clinical Trials: The role of ENT and the pharmacist in sore throat care".

The following day, the Director of Solutions and Evidence in Health participated in the session "Advancing pharmacist-led interventions for the prevention and management of noncommunicable diseases". António Teixeira Rodrigues shared the projects developed in implementing toolkits for managing noncommunicable diseases, highlighting the progress achieved in the past year and the impact of the approaches executed by pharmacies on professional practice and Public Health.

The 83rd FIP World Congress, under the theme "Pharmacy forward: Performance, Collaboration, and Health Transformation," was marked by the signing of the FIP Copenhagen Declaration on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR). The document, supported by 79 member organizations, including ANF and the Order of Pharmacists (Ordem dos Farmacêuticos), defines the priorities for tackling antimicrobial resistance and reaffirms the essential role of pharmacists in preserving the efficacy of antimicrobials and strengthening health systems against this critical global threat.

Portugal was represented at the annual event by a delegation consisting of ANF and the Order of Pharmacists.