The International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) is the global body for pharmacy practice, pharmacy education and pharmaceutical sciences. Through 159 member organisations, 228 academic institutional members, six observer organisations and more than 4,600 individual members, FIP represents more than 5.5 million pharmacists, pharmacy educators and pharmaceutical scientists around the world. Through all of its membership categories, FIP has a global presence in 157 countries and territories, representing 80.5% of the world.
The theme of the 84th FIP World Congress, ‘One Health, One Pharmacy — Bridging Science, Practice and Education’, reflected the increasingly interconnected nature of healthcare and the important contribution of pharmacists across a wide range of settings. Throughout Congress, delegates explored how pharmacists, pharmaceutical scientists and educators can drive progress towards better health outcomes, equitable access to essential medicines and resilient health systems worldwide.
The programme reflected the broad scope of pharmacy’s role in improving individual and public health and ranged from innovations in pharmaceutical research and education to new practice models that enhance access to quality care. The Congress also explored how pharmacists, pharmaceutical scientists and educators can contribute to strengthening primary health care, improving the responsible use of medicines, supporting more efficient and sustainable supply systems, and ensuring that the health workforce is prepared to meet the evolving health needs of communities around the world.
The FIP Council meeting took place across two days on 29 and 30 August. At the meeting the Council elected and ratified new colleagues to posts on the FIP Board from 3 September. Following the Council’s decisions, Lars-Ake Söderlund (Sweden) was elected as FIP President-elect (2026-2027), whereafter he will become FIP president (2027-2031). The Council also ratified the appointments of Sherif Guorgui (Canada) as Vice President for practice strategy, Erem Bilensoy (Türkiye) as Vice President for science operations, and Naoko Arakawa (UK) as Vice President for education operations. In addition, Toyin Tofade (USA) was elected as Vice President for a four-year term (2026–2030) and Claire Anderson (Great Britain) was elected as Vice President for a one-year term (2026–2027).
The admission of six new member organisations was approved: The Chinese Pharmacists Association, the College of Pharmaceutical Chemists of Peru, Drugs Control Officers (India) Welfare Association, the National Union of Pharmacists of Mali, Oman Pharmaceutical Society, and the Independent Community Pharmacy Association NPC, South Africa. The Inter-Union of African Pharmacists, Regional (Africa) was admitted as an allied organisation to FIP. The federation’s total membership organisation number is now 157.
The CEO presented FIP’s work over the past year, as documented in the 2025 Annual Report with the theme ‘Think Health, Think Pharmacist’. The report highlights the progress, partnerships and purpose that have shaped FIP’s work throughout the year, including strengthened global collaboration, support for member organisations, advances in professional development, and FIP’s continued commitment to equity, sustainability and resilient health systems.
The FIP Statement of Policy: Pharmacists supporting and empowering women and informal carers: From preventive care to responsible use of medicines was also published. The policy highlights the growing pressures faced by informal carers as populations age and more care is delivered in homes and communities and calls for stronger action to support and empower women and informal carers through pharmacist-led care. Recognising that medication-related harm continues to affect millions of people worldwide despite being largely preventable, the Council also approved and adopted the FIP Statement of Policy and call to action on the role of pharmacists in promoting patient and medication safety.
The following FIP Statements of Policy and calls to action were also published:
The FIP White paper on credentialing and professional recognition in pharmacy was also adopted.
The popular Digital Pharmacy Summit was held on the Saturday before the official opening of the Congress. It is a relatively recent addition to the Congress programme but reflects the emergence of digital health. This year the Summit explored the transformative role of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital tools in pharmacy. Over 200 participants from community pharmacy, hospital pharmacy, academia, and technology startups convened to discuss the future of pharmacy in a digitally evolving world. A recurring theme throughout the Summit was the recognition that the patient journey has fundamentally changed — patients now search symptoms, consult AI, check social media communities, and review wearable data before seeing a pharmacist. They arrive with questions, answers, and data that need interpretation. This shifts the pharmacist’s role from information provider to interpreter and decision partner, and a lot of the sessions were based around this thought-provoking idea.
The opening ceremony of the Congress brought together over 3,250 participants from 115 countries to discuss the theme ‘One Health, One Pharmacy’, emphasising the integration of science, practice, and education for global health advancement. FIP President Paul Sinclair highlighted the Federation’s achievements, including partnerships with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNESCO to promote equitable access to medicines and resilient healthcare systems. FIP CEO Dr. Catherine Duggan underscored the importance of collaboration and innovation in pharmacy. During the opening ceremony, outstanding contributions to the profession were recognised. Among those honoured was Professor Paul J. Gallagher, former Head of the School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences of the Royal College of Surgeons Dublin and now Professor at the National University of Singapore Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, who was awarded a FIP Fellowship. FIP Fellowships recognise individual members of FIP who have exhibited strong leadership internationally, distinguished themselves in the practice of pharmacy, education and/or pharmaceutical sciences, contributed to the advancement of practice, education and/or pharmaceutical sciences, and who have served FIP.
At a plenary session on 31 August, the FIP Montreal Declaration on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) was launched, reaffirming FIP’s commitment to advancing pharmacy’s contribution to preventing and managing one of the world’s greatest health challenges. Through the Montreal declaration, FIP calls for policies that enable pharmacists to practise to the full extent of their expertise in prevention, screening, early detection, treatment optimisation and long-term management of NCDs. It also highlights the need for sustainable remuneration, workforce development, digital health, interprofessional collaboration and equitable access to pharmacy services. Pharmacists were identified as essential agents in disaster response, education, and continuity of care, with their accessibility and trustworthiness making them pivotal in addressing NCDs. FIP member organisations were invited to sign the declaration at the Congress, and IPU President Caoimhe McAuley supported the Declaration on behalf of the IPU.
Throughout the Congress, delegates explored approaches to expanding pharmacists’ contribution to healthcare delivery. Presentations highlighted pharmacist prescribing, chronic disease management, vaccination services, workforce development and digital innovation, reflecting a global trend towards more clinically focused and accessible pharmacy services. Although healthcare systems differed considerably between countries, many of the challenges being discussed were familiar, including increasing demand for primary care services, workforce shortages and the growing burden of chronic disease. The Congress provided a valuable opportunity to see how pharmacists in different jurisdictions are responding to these challenges through service innovation, expanded scopes of practice and new models of patient care.
The IPU was pleased to present at a member organisation session during the FIP World Congress, alongside colleagues from the Canadian Pharmacists Association. The session, entitled ‘Implementation of Pharmacist Prescribing in Irish Community Pharmacy Practice’, was moderated by IPU President Caoimhe McAuley.
The IPU’s Head of Professional Services Dr Susan O’Dwyer outlined the recent policy and legislative developments that have enabled the expansion of community pharmacists’ scope of practice in Ireland. She also provided an update on the work of the Implementation Oversight Group to Support the Expansion of the Role of Pharmacy.
The session explored the development and implementation of the Common Conditions Service (CCS) in Irish community pharmacy. Attendees were introduced to a range of implementation resources developed by the IPU to support service delivery and adoption, while the importance of engaging a broad range of stakeholders in the implementation process was highlighted throughout.
IPU Medicines Information Pharmacist Noelle Horan presented a poster entitled ‘Advancing Irish Community Pharmacy Services: Development and Evaluation of a Pharmacist Assessment Form for a Common Conditions Service’. The poster showcased the development and evaluation of Pharmacist Assessment Forms (PAFs) designed to support the delivery of the CCS.
The work outlined the structured process used to develop the PAFs, which were mapped to HSE clinical protocols and refined through multiple rounds of pharmacist review. The forms were created to support protocol-aligned consultations, with the aim of improving consistency in clinical assessment, documentation, and decision-making across community pharmacy practice.
The Congress concluded with a strong sense of optimism about the future of pharmacy. While healthcare systems across the world face growing pressures, including increasing demand for services, workforce challenges and the rising burden of chronic disease, many of the solutions discussed throughout the week highlighted the expanding role of pharmacists in meeting these challenges. Presentations from across the globe demonstrated how pharmacists are improving access to care, supporting public health initiatives and delivering increasingly clinical and patient-centred services.
A recurring message throughout the Congress was the importance of leadership. Speakers encouraged pharmacists to be confident advocates for their profession and for the patients they serve, using their expertise in medicines and evidence-based practice to influence healthcare policy and service development. The theme of ‘One Health, One Pharmacy’ was reflected in the strong emphasis on collaboration, innovation and a shared commitment to improving health outcomes worldwide. As delegates departed Montreal, there was a clear sense that the profession is well positioned to play an even greater role in the future of healthcare.
Building on these discussions and shared ambitions, attention then turned to Kuala Lumpur, host of the 85th FIP World Congress from 12 to15 September 2027. Under the theme ‘Bridging Worlds: Global Knowledge, Local Realities and Better Care’, delegates will continue discussions on how pharmacists can transform scientific advances and global best practice into meaningful improvements in patient care. The theme reflects a shared commitment to ensuring that innovation, education and practice work together to meet the changing healthcare needs of communities around the world.
Noelle Horan
Medicines Information Pharmacist, IPU
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