FIP approves strategic plan for the next five years

The International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) approved the Strategic Plan 2025-2030 during the Council meeting on August 30 and 31, which preceded the 83rd World Congress in Copenhagen. ANF participated in the meeting, representing Portugal, alongside the Order of Pharmacists.

The approved strategic plan is based on six essential pillars. These are access to medicines and health services; person-centered pharmaceutical care and well-being; innovation and pharmaceutical research; strengthening pharmaceutical care and developing professionals and teams; combating antimicrobial resistance; and global leadership and engagement.

Policy statements were also approved concerning the integration of Artificial Intelligence into pharmaceutical practice, self-care, people-centered pharmaceutical care, and the intervention of pharmacists in non-communicable diseases. ANF collaborated in the development of all of them, with the last one being co-led by the Association's president, Ema Paulino.

The meeting was also marked by the adhesion of five new member organizations, representatives of their respective countries, with a highlight on those with Portuguese as an official language: Guinea-Bissau, represented by the Order of Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians (OFTF), and Mozambique, through the Association of Pharmacists of Mozambique (AFARMO).

Finally, the Portuguese community pharmacist Luís Lourenço was re-elected as Professional Secretary for a new four-year term. The annual merit distinctions were also awarded, with a highlight on Professor Filipa Alves da Costa, who was recognized with the status of FIP fellow.

The meeting, which brought together the more than 150 organizations from around the world that are part of FIP, also made important decisions regarding the evolution of the structure and the best reconciliation between the areas of practice, science and research, and pharmaceutical education.

FIP President inaugurates World Congress with a call for the future

“The pharmaceutical sector worldwide is evolving rapidly with technology, changes in healthcare, and the growing recognition of the fundamental role of pharmacists in global person-centered health coverage,” began Paul Sinclair, FIP president, yesterday during the opening ceremony of the 83rd World Congress, which runs from August 31 to September 3, in Copenhagen.

Given this scenario, Paul Sinclair made an appeal to community pharmacists: “Now is the time for pharmacists to embrace these opportunities,” he guarantees.

For the FIP president, the strategic plan approved at the Council meeting demands “ambitious actions” to take advantage of the current landscape and the skills of pharmacists and to “redefine the profession for a bright future.”