Collaborations & Partners
IFAPP works closely with the following organizations:
PharmaTrain is implementing reliable standards for high-quality postgraduate education and training in Medicines Development. https://www.pharmatrain.eu/.
PharmaTrain is a network of public and private partners that started its activities as an IMI (Innovative Medicines Initiative) project and has become a permanent not-for-profit organisation as of July 2014. The Federation is now continuously assessing Courses and Courses Providers around the world to provide the highest recognition available in Medicine Development Training.
Early in 2022, IFAPP’s Treasurer and Board Member Brigitte Franke-Bray, MD PhD FFPM GFMD, was elected to the Board and, subsequently, to the Executive Committee of PharmaTrain as one of two Vice Presidents.
In collaboration with PharmaTrain and the UK’s Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicines (https://www.fpm.org.uk/) IFAPP has considerably contributed to the development of the IMI (https://www.imi.europa.eu/) Syllabus (https://ifapp.org/about/pharmatrain-syllabus) for Training and Education in Pharmaceutical Medicine / Medicines Development Science:
PharmaTrain Syllabus 2018
Pharmaceutical Medicine / Medicines Development Science
Jointly developed by
Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin is Ireland’s leading university, ranked No. 1 in Ireland and 98th in the world (QS World University Rankings 2023). Trinity’s Pharmaceutical Medicine courses, based in the School of Medicine’s Pharmacology and Therapeutics discipline, were founded in 2004 to elevate knowledge in the management of the lifecycle of medicines and medical devices. The courses enable students to acquire a proper understanding of each topic covered designed for healthcare professionals, clinical researchers, medical health scientists and those within the pharmaceutical healthcare industry.
Trinity is designated Centre of Excellence by PharmaTrain and in 2005 Pharmaceutical Medicine became a recognised medical specialty in Ireland. As part of this global collaborative discipline Pharmaceutical Medicine at Trinity is recognised by the Royal College of Physicians in Ireland, the Association of Pharmaceutical Physicians in Ireland, the IFAPP, and the UK-based Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine. The course faculty work with many professional bodies and the wider Pharmaceutical Healthcare Industry in Ireland raising awareness of Pharmaceutical Medicine and supporting skills development. IFAPP TODAY, May 2022, Number 24 (https://ifapp.org/blog/ifapp-today-may-2022-number-24)
The Austrian Society for Pharmaceutical Medicine (Gesellschaft für Pharmazeutische Medizin), founded in 1992, is a medical-scientific forum for physicians, scientists and health professionals from academia, industry, government agencies and other institutions involved or interested in the clinical development of pharmaceuticals. The goal of GPMed is promoting science and research by establishing and continuously developing a high professional standard, competence and ethical integrity in this specialty. The focus of activities is on training and continuous development in clinical research in a highly dynamic environment with internationally competitive standards. GPMed’s international profile offers unique communication among the key stakeholders in clinical development to foster clinical research in Austria as a leading life sciences location.
GPMed offers a 10% fee reduction to all members of IFAPP (from National Member Associations or being Individual Affiliates) on the following training course which is held together with the University of Vienna in English:
The European Center for Pharmaceutical Medicine (ECPM) was founded in 1991 to cover the training needs of specialists working in drug development. It belongs to the department of Public Health of the Medical Faculty at the University of Basel and operates with partners worldwide. It is accredited as IMI PharmaTrain ‘Centre of Excellence’ and acknowledged by the International Federation of Associations of Pharmaceutical Physicians (IFAPP) and the respective country associations in Switzerland. ECPM offers a range of different training programs that provide a holistic understanding of the drug, medicines or device development process from discovery to the benefit of patients including key concepts in clinical trials, regulatory science and marketing.
The programs are targeted at representatives from the pharmaceutical industry, service industry, academic and government decision- and policymakers who already have a good understanding of the basics of drug development and will benefit from a more in-depth, comprehensive and systematic immersion into modern medical product and device development, regulation and market introduction.
Participation in the ECPM training programs provides the opportunity to integrate work and education, to discuss with experts face-to-face or online, to gain in-depth knowledge and enhance your expertise while building a professional network, and to put this into perspective with your own career plan.
ECPM offers a 1,000 CHF reduction of the course fee for IFAPP members.
EL.E.F.I. was founded in 1991 and evolved over the years to become a modern Medical Scientific Society with a systematic contribution to the postgraduate education regarding the Research and Development of Medicines, including preclinical, translational and clinical research, representing the community of medical doctors, scientists and researchers in the discipline of Pharmaceutical Medicine.
EL.E.F.I., with its interdisciplinary approach, cultivates collaborations and interactions with University Institutions, Research Centres, Independent and Private Research Institutions, Scientific Societies, Patients' Associations, Health Authorities and Statutory Industry Associations in the pursuit of fostering credible therapeutic solutions for patients that add value and benefits to society, build relationships of trust within the healthcare ecosystem and contribute to the improvement of health and advancement of Medical Sciences. For more information please click here:
With IFAPP’s Treasurer and Board Member Brigitte Franke-Bray, MD PhD FFPM GFMD, IFAPP is represented in the FPM’s Global Forum (FPM Global) Working Group. FPM Global has been formed with members from diverse locations such as the USA, South Africa, Nigeria, Pakistan, Switzerland, and Hong Kong, as well as the UK. It is hoped that FPM Global will facilitate international collaboration to promote and grow awareness of the Pharmaceutical Medicine Specialty which is only recognised as a medical specialty in the UK, Republic of Ireland, and Switzerland. The main purpose of FPM is to
- Raise awareness of Pharmaceutical Medicine as the profession representing the clinical science for the development of medicines and medical devices
- Support the global recognition of Pharmaceutical Medicine as a medical specialty
- Propose new training and assessment opportunities that meets local needs
- Contribute to the setting of world-wide standards in Pharmaceutical Medicine
(IFAPP TODAY, October 2021, Number 18; https://ifapp.org/blog/ifapp-today-october-2021-number-18).
IFAPP is a member of CIOMS and is represented by a Delegate in the Working Group on the Principles of Good Governance for Research Institutions (PGGRI).
CIOMS, the Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences, is an international, non-governmental, non-profit organization established jointly by WHO and UNESCO in 1949. CIOMS represents a substantial proportion of the biomedical scientific community through its member organizations, which include many of the biomedical disciplines, national academies of sciences and medical research councils. CIOMS mission is to advance public health through guidance on health research and policy including ethics, medical product development and safety. CIOMS is in official relations with WHO and is an associate partner of UNESCO ( https://cioms.ch/).
On 1st June 2022 IFAPP’s Chair of External Affairs and Board Member, Cordula Landgraf, PharmD, was elected at the CIOMS General Assemb to the CIOMS Executive Committee representing IFAPP. The Committee will continue to be chaired by Professor Hervé Le Louet; vice-chair is Professor Samia Hurst. The membership runs from 2022 to 2025 (three years).
IFAPP also follows closely the WMA’s activities, in particular with regard to the updates to the Declaration of Helsinki.
The World Medical Association (WMA) is an international organization representing physicians. It was founded on 17 September 1947, when physicians from 27 different countries met at the First General Assembly of the WMA in Paris. The organization was created to ensure the independence of physicians, and to work for the highest possible standards of ethical behaviour and care by physicians, at all times (https://www.wma.net/who-we-are/about-us/ ).
On 29 October 2020, IFAPP Ethics Working Group members published a paper “Linking the Declarations of Helsinki and of Taipei: Critical Challenges of Future-Oriented Research Ethics” which can be found in Frontiers in Pharmacology (https://ifapp.org/static/uploads/2021/02/fphar-11-579714.pdf)
Governing Bodies
In addition, IFAPP follows closely the guidance and decisions of the following Governing Bodies:
The mission of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) is to foster scientific excellence in the evaluation and supervision of medicines, for the benefit of public and animal health in the European Union (EU). (https://www.ema.europa.eu/)
The Food and Drug Administration is responsible for protecting the public health by ensuring the safety, efficacy, and security of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, and medical devices. (https://www.fda.gov/)
The PMDA (Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency) is the Japanese regulatory agency, working together with Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. Their obligation is to protect the public health by assuring safety, efficacy and quality of pharmaceuticals and medical devices.
They are building a better, healthier future for people all over the world. Working with 194 Member States, across six regions, and from more than 150 offices, WHO staff are united in a shared commitment to achieve better health for everyone, everywhere. (https://www.who.int)