FIP have convened networks and groups of experts in non-communicable diseases to address a specific area of concern. The two groups that have been convened include:
The Global Network of Pharmacists Against Tobacco
The Global Network of Pharmacists Against Tobacco was established by FIP in collaboration with the EuroPharm Forum, as a global forum for pharmacists, pharmaceutical students, and their professional organisations as well as other individuals or organisations interested in smoking cessation and tobacco control activities. The network was officially launched during the World Conference on Tobacco or Health 2003 in Helsinki, Finland, and has since been discontinued.
Working Group on Non-communicable Diseases
FIP established the Working Group on Non-communicable Diseases in 2016 to collect and analyse the available evidence for the role and impact of pharmacists’ interventions in the fight against NCDs. The group was also tasked with providing an overview of existing national and regional policies around the fight against NCDs, assessing pharmacists’ value proposition in prevention, implementation, and supervision of the therapeutic plan and how these initiatives could be supported by new technologies, as well as analysing the skills of pharmacists for delivering these services.
The group conducted a global survey of FIP member organisations to understand the current roles of pharmacists, gaps, and opportunities in providing services addressing non-communicable diseases. Evidence garnered during the survey was instrumental in the development of the 2019 reference paper on NCDs titled ‘Beating non-communicable diseases in the community: The contribution of pharmacists.
This reference paper provides global evidence and best practices of pharmacists’ involvement in the prevention and management of NCDs and advocates for increased involvement in pharmacist-led, patient-centred NCD management activities that can lead to an improvement of patient outcomes.
Members of the Working Group included:
Chair: Isabel Jacinto (Portugal) Chair 2015 2017: Isabelle Adenot (France) Yetunde Oyeneyin (Nigeria) Luna El Bizri (Lebanon) Kristina Billberg (Sweden) Deirdre Criddle (Australia) Manjiri Gharat (India) Michael D. Hogue (USA) Layla Kishli (Lebanon) Anna Laven (Germany) Gonçalo Sousa Pinto (FIP) Ying Zhou (China)
