Monday, August 31, 2026

11:00 AM - 12:30 PM

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Details

Organised by the FIP Community Pharmacy Section Chair(s) Prof. Nadia Al Mazrouei, FIP Board Vice President, UAE, and Ms Leticia Caligaris, Executive Committee member of the FIP Community Pharmacy Section, Uruguay Introduction: The global expansion of high-cost medicines — from biologics and gene therapies to GLP-1 analogues such as semaglutide — is redefining not only healthcare expenditure but also the ethical, operational, and professional responsibilities of pharmacy practice. Pharmacists, traditionally focused on accessibility, safety, and counselling, now stand at the crossroads of new technologies and pharmaceutical innovations, regulatory complexity, digital transformation, and patient equity. This session will explore how community pharmacy and industrial pharmacy practice can evolve within this reality while maintaining fairness, trust and professional integrity. Using examples such as GLP-1 agonists, modern biologics and other high-value therapies, it will examine the everyday implications for community pharmacists. It will also explore recent efforts by the pharmaceutical industry to promote the equitable and affordable access to new technologies to overall population, while it continues to drive innovation towards life-saving therapies. A strong patient and equity perspective will be woven throughout the discussion, reinforcing the pharmacist’s role as a patient advocate who connects therapeutic innovation with real-world access and outcomes. Programme: Learning objectives: 1. Analyse how industrial, regulatory, and digital developments shape access, safety, and sustainability of high-cost medicines in community pharmacy practice. 2. Evaluate the evolving role of community pharmacists as patient advocates and key actors in equitable and value-based access. 3. Identify policy and financing mechanisms that support sustainable pharmacy systems and fair access to high-cost therapies. Take home messages: The pharmaceutical practice, in special community pharmacists and Industry professionals and policy makers are pivotal in translating innovation into equitable care. As high-cost medicines reshape health systems, pharmacists must connect industry, regulation, and patient needs — ensuring access, transparency, and sustainability while upholding professional ethics and reinforcing trust as the foundation of responsible pharmaceutical practice. FIP Development Goals: To learn more about these FIP Development Goals, click on the links below. FIP Development Goal 10: Equity and Equality FIP Development Goal 11: Impact and Outcomes FIP Development Goal 13: Policy Development

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