One of the most significant recent events relating to a vision for global well-being was the adoption by United Nation member states of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on 25 September 2015. For pharmacists, SDG 3 (“Ensure healthy lives . . .”) is the most obviously relevant. Less mentioned in health circles is SDG 9 (“ . . .promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation”). Yet, among the targets of this goal is to enhance scientific research, and every government must report progress around R&D expenditure as a proportion of GDP as well as the number of researchers per million inhabitants. In other words, pharmaceutical research is highlighted as a significant factor in ensuring prosperity for all and in the UN goal to “transform our world”. 

We are facing a major revolution as a result of important progress in genetics and systems biology, leading to an era of precision medicines. In Stockholm, Sweden, in May, the global scientific and pharmacy community gathered at FIP’s 6th Pharmaceutical Sciences World Congress (PSWC) under the theme “Systems approaches to drug discovery, development and clinical usage”. Excellent science underpins pharmacy practice: It is essential for all in our profession to keep abreast of progress in research, enabling communities around the world to access new medicines more quickly. Take a look at this special issue of the IPJ containing extensive coverage from PSWC 2017, including information about medicines in development.

Don’t miss:

• End-to-end thinking is paving the way to future medicines — the Gates Foundation’s approach
• Non-profit pharma companies offer a new route to medicines
• Systems biology pioneer Hiroaki Kitano on how health care will change 
• The six therapeutic areas promising big impact 
• Potential antidote to “party drug” (GHB) overdose
• What regulatory bodies are doing to speed up access to new medicines
• More effective treatment for cystic fibrosis on its way
• Sonoporation: A technique to improve targeted drug delivery
• The Group A Streptococcus vaccine that could save thousands 
• How mass customisation of medicines could be achieved 
• Developing guidelines for pharmacogenetics testing
• Pharmaceutical scientists creating awareness about pharmaceuticals in water 
• Self-care: A model for consultation 
• Implementing a pharmacy satellite medicines management service in the operating room
• Rethinking education for pharmaceutical scientists
• Developing a postgraduate course in global pharmacy 
• Legal U-turn in Israel recognises pharmacists’ value 

And news includes:

• Pharmacists’ role in harm reduction highlighted to United Nations
• Review laws to allow full pharmacist involvement in non-communicable disease care, FIP says
• Global plan for dementia endorsed
• Scientists push global research agenda on precision medicines
• Precision medicine challenges set out
• FIP talks investment in education and workforce to ministers
• World Pharmacists Day theme 2017
• Recognition of pharmacists’ self-care services is growing, new FIP report says
• New strategy for FIP under way
• Kenyan government teams up with pharmacists to fight HIV
• Drug shortages in Australian hospitals much higher than documented
• Pharmacist programme suggests benefit for MS patients
• Sildenafil could switch to OTC medicine in the UK

All this is available now!

FIP members can access the interactive magazine and pdf here.