About us
The Pharmaceutical Forum of the Americas (Foro Farmacéutico de las Américas, FFA) was founded on 29 November 1999 by the Pan American Health Organization Regional Office of the World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), three regional and 14 national pharmaceutical organisations in the Americas region. More about the history of the FFA can be found here.
Objectives and regional priorities
Our priority FIP Development Goals are:
- DG 5 (Competency development)
- DG 13 (Policy development)
- DG 17 (Antimicrobial stewardship)
- DG 18 (Access to medicines, devices and services)
- DG 21 (Sustainability in pharmacy)
Other key priorities are developing a roadmap for pharmacy in Latin America, promoting self-care, expanding vaccination in pharmacies, and improving quality and clinical focus and addressing capacity challenges in pharmacy education.
How we work
Our executive committee 2026-2027 is as follows
President: Ricardo Pesenti, Argentina (2025-2029)
Vice president: Dr Marco Dehesa, Ecuador (2025-2029)
Vice president and treasurer: Dr Andrés Escotto, Uruguay (2024-2028)
Secretary of pharmacy practice: Dr Eve Rivero, Bolivia (2025-2029)
Secretary of pharmacy education and pharmaceutical workforce development: Dr Gladys Lugo, Paraguay (2025-2029)
Secretary of pharmaceutical sciences: Dr Josélia Frade, Brazil (2024-2028)
FIP organisations in membership and regional representation
The Forum reported active collaboration and communication with national and regional pharmacy organisations, associations, professional societies, syndicates and regulatory stakeholders across the Americas Region.
Visit FIP’s directory of organisations in membership to see FIP’s members across the region.
General assembly and governance
The current statutes of the Pharmaceutical Forum of the Americas were adopted in April 2024.
The latest annual report covers August 2025 to July 2026 and documents the Forum’s governance development, projects and collaborations.
If you have any questions or want to know more about the PFA, contact us at ffa@fip.org.
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Activities and projects
Early Career Internship Programme
The PFA launched an Early Career Internship Programme, incorporating three young pharmacists into formal institutional roles to strengthen youth engagement and leadership within the Forum.
Competitive Grants Programme
The PFA continued its Competitive Grants Programme supporting pharmaceutical practice and education initiatives across the Americas. During the 2026–2027 call, four projects from Colombia, Ecuador and Paraguay were selected for funding.
Self-care project
PFA is developing and implementing a pilot model of pharmaceutical dispensing and health education in community pharmacies in Ecuador, with a focus on rational medicine use. The project aims to strengthen pharmacists’ contribution to patient care and help patients use their medicines safely and effectively.
Educational projects
A project in Colombia is implementing a standardised intercultural pharmaceutical care model for Wayúu women experiencing extreme maternal morbidity in rural areas. It also builds professional quality indicators into pharmacy practice to measure and strengthen the care these women receive.
A pharmacotherapeutic optimisation programme in Paraguay is improving medicine use for cardiovascular outpatients at the Hospital de Clínicas. The project relies on structured pharmaceutical interventions to make sure these patients get the most out of their treatment.
A project in Paraguay is developing and implementing a Paraguayan Sign Language glossary for pharmaceutical care. The aim is to make care more inclusive and improve communication between pharmacists and people with hearing impairment.
Resources
Statements about the pharmaceutical profession:
Bogotá Declaration (2022) This is a declaration on pharmaceutical services based on primary health care.
Montevideo Commitment (2011) This defined actions needed to promote change in pharmaceutical services in the Americas.
Declaration of the Americas (2007) This is a declaration on the profession of pharmacy and its impact on healthcare systems.
FFA also hosted the following digital events:
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Title: Nutraceuticals: Experience in Bolivia
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Title: Pharmaceutical care in tobacco cessation
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Title: Patient safety as a strategy for the professional growth of the pharmacist
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Title: Counterfeiting, self-medication and risks: The current landscape of GLP-1 agonists
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Title: Medication Management in Humanitarian Crises
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Title: Support without judgment: The pharmacist's role in the psychopharmacological complexity of mental health
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