News
15 February 2007
Lisbon hosts first EPF of 2007
Portugal provided the venue for the first European Pharmacists Forum of 2007, held in Lisbon on 15 and 16 February 2007. The event comprised a series of presentations and seminars as well as a tour of the headquarters of the Portuguese association of pharmacists (Associação Nacional das Farmácias - ANF). Themes covered by the forum included the emergence of a new distribution model and a vision for European Pharmacy.
On the afternoon of the first day, participants were welcomed by Elvire Kuyck, EPF President. Frank Owens, a member of the EPF and the Community Health Partnership Development Group of Scotland, then gave a presentation entitled "A New Distribution Model". Mr Owens outlined the challenges to pharmacists both from pharmaceutical manufacturers changing their distribution models and distributors moving to increase their market share as a result. He explained that the pharmacy profession must respond by demonstrating "unambiguously that pharmacists are an essential link in the chain."
Mr Owen called on pharmacists to focus on strengthening their position as "practitioners with state-of-the-art knowledge". To achieve success in this, they must work with manufacturers in developing partnerships of mutual advantage and with the relevant authorities to influence public health policy. Ultimately, they must "go back to their core business and competencies" and "take charge of the pharmaceutical needs of the patient". Because, he concluded, "our society is subject to the will of consumers, and it is therefore by defending the needs of patients that pharmacists will defend their pharmacies."
Day two began with an update from Ornella Barra, Wholesale and Commercial Affairs Director of Alliance Boots, on the Group's recent activities. She went on to present the potential development of Boots Brands across Europe. Following these two presentations, an interactive discussion covering the topics raised in each took place.
Once the delegate discussions ended, Luis Matias, Vice-President of the Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union (PGEU) gave a presentation on "A Vision for European pharmacy". Mr Matias began with a general view of the impact of new technologies and social trends on society and several ways in which the delivery of healthcare services has changed as a result. He then talked about the increasing regulation of the healthcare sector in the context of the Lisbon strategy, adopted by the Council of Europe in March 2000. This agreement aimed to make Europe the most competitive economy in the world, based on competition and the elimination of obstacles within the internal market. But, despite many arguments in favour of market deregulation, governments have often attempted to constrain market forces, he continued.
Mr Matias proposed that the nature of competition in the healthcare sector needs to change. Healthcare is a highly subjective issue and the information provided by agents of the market is rarely consistent. Within pharmacy, the most important aim must be to identify the needs of customers and patients. From a political standpoint, there are two competing visions, he suggested; the commercial vision (pharmacists as businesspeople) and the public service vision (which leads to greater regulation of the sector). "This second vision is the only one capable of protecting the public with regard to the safety, efficacy and cost of medicinal products," he concluded.
Elvire Kuyck concluded the seminar underlining the need for pharmacists to develop their role in the healthcare system and inviting participants to the next meeting on 15 & 16 June in Moscow.
