Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is rising across the globe, threatening to undo decades of medical progress. At the 2025 FIP world congress, experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), together with Denmark’s Minister of the Interior and Health, stressed that tackling AMR requires urgent investment, coordinated strategies and strong international partnerships. Laila Ghorab reports from Copenhagen.

As global health pressures mount and healthcare systems face escalating demand, community pharmacy stands at a crossroads: to adapt strategically or risk erosion. At the 2025 FIP world congress plenary, experts warned that sustainability hinges on reimagining the pharmacist’s role, from trusted dispenser to frontline provider of public health, primary care, and social connection. With pharmacy closures rising, physician shortages looming, and drug markets under strain, the session called for bold responses to secure pharmacy’s future as an indispensable pillar of accessible health care.

By: Katrina Azer, BPharm, RPh, CPGx, CertClinGov, PCNZ Board Member

Artificial intelligence (AI) is having a huge impact on our lives, in the pharmaceutical and medical field, it represents a useful tool to overcome the lack of workforce and to improve the quality of people working in the healthcare system. AI should be a support for healthcare professionals, and only be used with proper training and certified systems that are verified and tightly regulated. Deborah Pinalli reports.

Speakers engaged in a panel discussion on advancing cancer research through organoids, artificial intelligence, and pharmacogenomics at the FIP 83rd World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Alzahraa Maitham Al-Nashi reports from a session at the congress in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The FIP Ethics Advisory Group (EAG) led a session at the 83rd FIP World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in Copenhagen, titled “The ethics of pharmacist prescribing: An examination of responsibilities involved in expanded practice.” Chaired by Sanya Ram, senior lecturer, University of Auckland, New Zealand, the session drew over 350 delegates and sparked discussions around the ethical, professional and practical dimensions of pharmacist prescribing.

Tailoring science and pharmaceutical care to our youngest patients at FIP’s 83rd World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Aimen Zahra Jafri reports

A dialogue with experts on the future of self-care and the role of pharmacists was held at FIP’s 83rd World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Aimen Zahra Jafri reports.

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) and obesity represent worldwide problems that affect the lives of many people. Innovative treatments and preventive screenings are being explored to detect these conditions at an early stage. Like T1D, obesity is a pandemic disease with both physical and psychological impacts. For this reason, Anne Cathrine Fleischer highlighted the need for campaigns to raise awareness and the central role of pharmacists in supporting patients. Deborah Pinalli reports.

At the 83rd FIP World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in Copenhagen, delegates explored how the next generation of drug delivery technologies could transform patient care worldwide. From self-administered microneedle patches to advanced nanocarriers for biologics, the session demonstrated how science is moving beyond traditional tablets and injections to make therapies safer, more effective and accessible. Fatima Talal reports.

Professional development strategies were discussed at the session “Should I stay, or should I go?” during the FIP’s 83rd World Congress of Pharmacy in Copenhagen, Denmark. The session explored how a resilient pharmacy workforce can be built, with the aim of reducing career exits in the future. Alzahraa Maitham Al-Nashi reports.

The FIP Hub is driving a concerted shift from scattered initiatives towards a unified strategy for global pharmacy transformation. By aligning together the 2024 Brisbane Calls to Action, FIP Developmental Goals, FIP data and intelligence (Global Pharmaceutical Observatory), and the 2025 Global Situation Report on Pharmacy, we have created a cohesive framework to guide workforce transformation towards 2030. At the heart of this framework are an initial core of seven active projects, from mapping specialisations and advancing digital health to prescribing competencies, mental health initiatives, and terminology standardisation—all designed to deliver on pharmacy’s global Calls to Action.

By: Katrina Azer, BPharm, RPh, CPGx, CertClinGov, PCNZ Board Member

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a complex and multifaceted global health challenge that cannot be addressed in isolation. Combating it requires a coordinated, collaborative approach involving all sectors of the healthcare system — from frontline healthcare workers to researchers, policymakers and the public. Dr Mariet Eksteen reports from the 83rd FIP World Congress on Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Sustainability is FIP Development Goal 21. A plenary session at the 2024 FIP congress in Cape Town delved into the quest for sustainable and equitable access to medicines. Lin-Nam Wang reports.

Innovative approaches to combat tuberculosis through artificial intelligence were discussed at FIP’s 82^nd World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in Cape Town, South Africa. Vukona Vennesa Mahundla reports.

“Innovating for the future of health care” was the theme of the 2024 FIP congress. During the congress, FIP member organisations were invited to share their innovations at a set of sessions. Carwen Wynne Howells reports from a session featuring Advanced Pharmacy Australia and the General Pharmaceutical Council of Spain.

Mmapaseka Steve Letsike (pictured above), South Africa’s Deputy Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, and vice president of the South African Pharmacy Council, addressed participants at the final FIP congress Cape Town plenary session, “Innovation, sustainability and the future of health care”. Lin-Nam Wang reports.

Carwen Wynne Howells reports from a FIP Cape Town congress session on developments in the field of clinical trials.

The role of pharmacists in achieving universal health coverage through patient partnerships and the provision of accessible healthcare services was discussed at the fourth plenary of the 2024 FIP world congress. Laila Ghorab reports.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping healthcare and pharmacy by processing vast amounts of data to revolutionise diagnostics, treatments and patient care. While AI may help minimise diagnostic errors and tailor personalised treatment plans, ethical considerations, such as data privacy and algorithmic bias, must be addressed to ensure equitable AI-driven health care for all. Laila Ghorab reports from the third plenary session of the 2024 FIP world congress.

Aaron Motsoaledi, Minister of Health for South Africa, addressed participants at the first plenary session of the FIP congress in Cape Town earlier this month. The session was entitled “Equitable quality health care: A call to action for pharmacy”. Lin-Nam Wang reports.

Progress on the fight against antimicrobial resistance in underserved areas was discussed at FIP’s 82^nd World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Sandrine Tanga reports.

Substandard and falsified medical products pose a serious threat to patient and public well-being, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Perspectives from Nigeria and Zambia on substandard and falsified medicines and patient protection strategies were given at the 2024 FIP world congress in Cape Town, South Africa. Mookho Lerata reports.

A session at FIP’s 82nd World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences focused on some of the opportunities and challenges of developing patient-centred drug delivery systems. Candidah Nephawe reports

While breakthroughs in medicine are crucial, ensuring these innovations are accessible and affordable to populations worldwide is equally important. The focus of a plenary session at the FIP world congress in Cape Town, South Africa, this month was innovative drug discovery and access. Laila Ghorab reports.

Over 700 posters were presented at the 2024 FIP world congress in Cape Town, South Africa, including from fields of pharmaceutical sciences such as drug delivery and manufacturing, new medicines, personalised and precision medicine, pharmacy practice research and regulatory sciences and quality. This article shares some of the research presented.

Different aspects of achieving sustainable health care were explored at a digital event organised by FIP’s Ethics Advisory Group last month. Laila Ghorab reports.

A new framework for navigating conscientious objection in healthcare was discussed at FIP’s 81st World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Hung-Jui (Terry) Chen reports.

Challenges and barriers to implement remuneration services were discussed at FIP’s 81st World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Zuhreh Ahmadi reports.

Carwen Wynne Howells reports from a FIP congress session in Brisbane exploring the development of artificial intelligence and its potential application in pharmacy practice.

During FIP’s 81st World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, a number of the federation’s member organisations shared developments related to sustainability and strengthening health systems in their countries. Carwen Wynne Howells reports.

How can pharmacists demonstrate their public health roles as influencers within their scope of practice and self-care? A session at the FIP congress in Brisbane, Australia, titled “Pharmacists as influencers across public health” discussed pharmacists’ commitment to patient-centred care for a sustainable future through interprofessional collaboration and patient engagement. Session chair Vaiyapuri Subramaniam, together with the session speakers, report.

Timothy Chen reports from a FIP congress session in Brisbane, Australia, on ensuring sustainable and transparent access to medicines and addressing shortages.

Timothy Chen reports from a FIP congress session in Brisbane, Australia, that looked at strategies to increase antimicrobial stewardship.

Almost all major pharmaceutical companies are employing machine learning to assist in drug discovery and development, including prediction of new hits, binding affinities, solubility, stability and formulation. Machine learning algorithms are also assisting in the selection of existing medicines for the treatment of different diseases. A session at the FIP congress in Brisbane, Australia, provided an overview of the opportunities and possibilities that machine learning and artificial intelligence can impart in the drug discovery and development process, repurposing of medicines and evaluating the effectiveness of medicines. Prateek Jain reports

A session at the FIP congress in Brisbane, Australia, took a look at the development of mRNA therapeutics for vaccines and its next step in cancer. Prateek Jain reports.

Carwen Wynne Howells reports on a session during FIP’s 81st World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, about the new experience of community pharmacy through the metaverse.

Building a sustainable future was the subject of the first plenary session, which focused on strengthening health systems, at the 81st World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in Brisbane, Australia. Graeme Smith reports.

Challenges, opportunities and sustainable solutions related to antimicrobial resistance were discussed at a plenary session during the 81st World Congress of Pharmaceutical Sciences in Brisbane, Australia. Graeme Smith reports.

Michael J. Rouse was named as the first winner of the FIP Exceptional Award in Pharmaceutical Education at the 81st World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in Brisbane, Australia. In his award lecture, he reflected on current models of pharmacy education and shared his views on the best model to ensure that all graduates achieve the competencies required to enter practice and provide services that meet the needs. Lin-Nam Wang reports.

Amazon’s innovations in the pharmacy and prescription delivery space were presented during a plenary session on technology to strengthen health systems at FIP’s 81st World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Graeme Smith reports.

Pharmacists’ roles in disasters and humanitarian crises were described at a plenary session of the 81st World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in Brisbane, Australia. Graeme Smith reports.

What is required to form realistic and successful collaborations in order to strengthen health systems was the topic of a plenary session at FIP’s 81st World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Graeme Smith reports.

“Mentalisation” is a psychoanalytical concept that emerged in the 1960s and was empirically tested in the 1980s. During FIP’s Pharmacy Practice Research Summer Meeting, organised by FIP’s Special Interest Group on Pharmacy Practice Research, in Granada, Spain, last month, research on its use to support patient-centred care was presented. Uijeong Jo reports.

Healthcare systems are facing significant challenges, including increased demand after the COVID-19 pandemic, an ageing population and a rise in chronic diseases. To address these challenges, the concept of integrated health systems has emerged as a potential solution. According to the World Health Organization, this means “the organisation and management of health services [including pharmacy] so that people get the care they need, when they need it, in ways that are user-friendly, achieve the desired results and provide value for money”. From mapping the diverse terminology used to understanding the dimensions of quality within community pharmacy, findings by pharmaceutical researchers exploring integrated health care were presented at the Pharmacy Practice Research Summer Meeting in Granada, Spain, this month. Laila Ghorab reports.

Generic drugs are a practical solution to the problem of high prescription medicine costs. The US Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Generic Drugs (OGD) has established an initiative to ensure that high-quality, affordable generic drugs are readily available to patients in the USA and beyond. At a webinar on harmonisation and global efforts for safe and effective generic drugs organised by FIP’s Industrial Pharmacy Section in March, the OGD’s mission and the key accomplishments of its initiative were highlighted. Laila Ghorab reports.

A 2022 FIP world congress session in Seville, Spain, explored the place of intellectual property rights in global health emergencies and alternative approaches that will reward innovators, yet facilitate medicines availability. Christopher John reports.

Community pharmacies often operate independently of other healthcare providers and so may be overlooked or excluded during healthcare system integration processes. However, the call for integration of pharmacy within primary health care is supported by community pharmacies and is actively promulgated by organisations such as FIP, and there are now many examples of the value of inclusion driven by the COVID-19 pandemic. Nilhan Uzman reports.

Christopher John reports from a session at the 80th World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences that planted seeds of behavioural change in attendees.

Artificial intelligence is the simulation of human intelligence processes by machines in terms of the way humans act and think. A FIP congress session in Seville, Spain, examined current and future practices relating to technologies and artificial intelligence in pharmaceutical services. Farah Aqqad reports.

Stress among pharmacists and pharmacists’ role in suicide prevention were discussed at FIP’s 80th World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Joanna Callier reports.

The FIP Technology Forum brings together experts from within FIP membership to exchange views on current activities, problem areas and best practices in technology. The forum met during the FIP world congress in Seville, Spain. Aysu Selçuk and Nilhan Uzman report on the discussions.

Pharmacy education activities and training methods were affected during the COVID-19 pandemic and a FIP World congress session in Seville, Spain, focused on how educators can manage the needs of the future workforce and deliver high-quality pharmaceutical education in a pandemic. Alison Ubong Etukakpan reports.

A FIP congress session in Seville, Spain, discussed ways to combat the dangers of exposure to hazardous drugs and the challenges associated with nanomedicines. Rúben Viegas reports. 

Inês Nunes da Cunha reports from a 2022 FIP world congress session that examined ethical considerations for pharmacists using social media for public health and addressed inequities in pharmacy education due to COVID-19.

Consolidation of the role of pharmacists in the healthcare system in the context of primary health care was the topic of a session at FIP’s world congress in Seville. Joanna Callier reports.

Participants at a session at FIP’s 80th World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences heard how health technology assessment norms had to change to reflect the limited data available during the COVID-19 pandemic. Joanna Callier reports.

The FIP Academic Institutional Membership World Café held during FIP’s 2022 world congress in Seville, Spain, gathered around 60 current and future academic leaders at its discussion tables. Ozge Ozer reports.

There is, perhaps, no bigger story during the COVID-19 pandemic than the transition of mRNA technologies from relatively small-scale experimental approaches to clinical implementation on a grand scale. This has stimulated increased interest in the development of other technologies that have followed a similar development history to mRNA. A session at the FIP world congress in Seville, Spain, explored some of these technologies and related regulatory changes so far. Ozge Ozer reports.

Dalia Bajis reports from a congress session on pharmacists’ role in mental health, especially in the context of COVID-19 challenges

A session at FIP’s 80th world congress, held in Seville, Spain, explored how pharmaceutical sciences are preparing for future global health challenges, including equity of access to technologies. Dalia Bajis reports.

At a session organised by FIP’s Community Pharmacy and Military & Emergency Pharmacy sections on 20 September, participants heard about the scope of pharmacists’ humanitarian work. Rúben Viegas reports

The FIP world congress in Seville, Spain, included a number of sessions where experiences and lessons learnt during the COVID-19 pandemic were shared. Nour Eltaha and Sherly Meilianti report.

A FIP 80th World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences session aimed to provide different perspectives on how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the scope of services provided by pharmacists in different settings. Alison Ubong Etukakpan reports.

Global, regional and national perspectives on the road map ahead for a global action plan on antimicrobial resistance were discussed at a congress session organised by FIP’s Commission on AMR and the Global Respiratory Infection Partnership. Dalia Bajis, Aysu Selcuk and Catherine Duggan report.

“Pharmacy united in the recovery of the healthcare system” was the theme of the first plenary session of the 2022 FIP congress. Speakers gave different perspectives of pharmacy’s role during the COVID-19 pandemic. Graeme Smith reports.

“Leading in times of crisis and beyond” was the theme of the second plenary session of the congress on 20 September. Participants heard about a campaign to send medicines to Ukraine and about the importance of competency-based education and training. Graeme Smith reports.

The third congress plenary session gave participants much to think about with regard to the role of digital health in encouraging self-care and in maintaining the functionality of older people. Graeme Smith reports.

“No borderline: Barriers in pharmaceutical care” was the title of the lecture given to the congress by André Bédat Award winner Roberto Frontini. Alison Ubong Etukakpan reports.

A congress session in Seville looked at health inclusivity and the role of pharmacy. Carwen Wynne Howells attended the session and shares what she learnt.

The problem of stress in community pharmacy and practical tools to reduce its impact were the focus of a FIP congress session in Seville. Carwen Wynne Howells reports

To mark the third anniversary of the signing of the Astana Declaration on primary health care, FIP organised a virtual global summit on 25 October to examine how pharmacists are transforming the declaration’s visions into actions.

How are developments in pharmacy data and intelligence supporting health care and what does the future hold? Pharmacy intelligence (FIP Development Goal 12) was the focus of a FIP event last month.

FIP hosted a webinar in August as part of its “setting goals” series that focused on Development Goal 7 (DG 7, advancing integrated services). Participants heard that bringing patients to the centre of discussions is the key to progress. Graeme Smith reports.

An FIP webinar on 10 August examined inequities in gender access and handling of vaccinations globally with a view to help inform future pharmacy policy. Graeme Smith reports.

A report from a gathering of experts from around the world to talk about new pharmacy services that have resulted from COVID-19 and post-pandemic recovery.

Graeme Smith reports from a FIP Digital Event on sustainability in pharmacy, which was held in June 2021 as part of the federation’s “Setting goals for the decade ahead” programme.