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.