Pharmacists Called to Take Action on Individual and Collective Levels by FIP President During 75th World Pharmacy Congress

At the opening ceremony of the 75^th International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists worldwide were called on by FIP President Carmen Peña to ensure the pharmacy profession remains relevant and able to respond effectively to current and future needs of the world’s communities. During her inaugural address, Peña described her “T

wo times two” plan, which means taking two actions at two levels. Peña encouraged pharmacists to take “one action on professional development and another to promote and defend the profession’s interests, each taken at individual and collective levels,” according to the FIP press release. Further, she advised that the focus of the plan should be patients and health care providers, public health and clinical pharmacy services, and sustainability, in terms of access, use, and disposal of medicines.

In addition, Peña addressed the pharmacist’s role in empowering women and stated that “Women should be considered as crucial partners in achieving responsible use of medicines.” Peña described women as “the care providers” who are “often the ones visiting pharmacies on behalf of their families.”

The 75^th annual world pharmacy congress was held in Düsseldorf, Germany, from September 29 to October 3, 2015. The congress was hosted by FIP in collaboration with the Federal Union of German Associations of Pharmacists. The theme of the congress was “Better practice – Science based, evidence driven.” Approximately 3,104 pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists from 111 countries attended the congress to discuss how to work towards the best possible pharmacy practice.