NEWS!

Will another one million die of tuberculosis next year? FIP’s Mike Spijker spoke to TB workers @FIPcongress in Thailand and found out about the Stop TB Partnership, which is hosted by the World Health Organization. The partnership has been established to help countries access quality assured drugs.

Website: http://www.stoptb.org/

 

 

 

MoU

 

MoU Signing

 

 

 

 

 

The Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA) signs MoU with other national bodies to increase pharmacists involvement in the care and control of TB – amonumental step in fighting TB in India. Click here to read the full MoU and click here to read a latest article on  how pharmacists are making a huge impact in the fight against TB in India.

 

Pharmacists can contribute significantly to different tasks essential for quality TB care.

The FIP Challenge – a Request for Proposals (RFP) will be made in the 2011 for national pharmacy professional associations (FIP member organization) and national pharmacy student associations (IPSF member organization) to submit proposals on innovative approaches to target the following interventions:
•    Early identification of TB suspects and referral activities for diagnosis thereby reducing delays in diagnosis, saving costs of care and contributing to increasing case detection.
•    Support delivery of DOTS treatment focusing on training of pharmacists and patient adherence, so as to enhance treatment success, reducing defaults and contributing to cutting the disease transmission.
•    Improving rational use of anti-TB medicines and contributing to preventing emergence of drug resistance.
•    Public education and communication campaigns on TB and MDR-TB awareness

Up to 5 proposals will be funded for national pharmacy professional associations, each of the value between 5000 to 10000 USD.

Up to 5 proposals will be funded for national pharmacy student associations, each of the value between 1000 to 3000 USD.

 

The FIP Challenge Round 1 will be for the period 2011 to 2012. Detailed proposal application forms can be downloaded here (PDF) and here(Word).

Applicants would be expected to describe proposed interventions for funding, while considering, inter alia, technical issues, cost-effectiveness, feasibility, sustainability and impact.

FIP and the Lilly MDR-TB Partnership
FIP SEARPharm Forum has entered into collaborative participation with Eli Lilly MDR-TB Partnership . The understanding between Eli Lilly and SPF was facilitated by FIP. It is a unique public-private collaboration with the support of Lilly MDR TB in partnership with Government, Chemists Association and the Indian Pharmaceutical Association (IPA) in India.

A pilot project (2010 to 2011) has been launched to train pharmacists for the DOTS protocol. For example, case detection & referral, medication management, counseling and overall monitoring of the treatment in selected hotspots of Mumbai and subsequently advocacy campaigns in other cities in 4 to 5 major cities of India.
Potential collaborations can be extended for other countries on scaling up of these forms of public/private mix approaches.

For 2011 to 2012, FIP will intensify its activities in engaging pharmacists and national associations of pharmacists in combating TB/MDR-TB with support from Lilly MDR-TB Partnership. In addition, FIP Member Organisations may gain access to tools and resources developed by other partners such as the World Medical Association, International Council of Nurses and the International Hospital Federation. These materials could be adapted by use by pharmacists where relevant.

More information about the Lilly MDR-TB Partnership click here

Pharmacists in TB control: their current role

Click here to access a background document on pharmacists and TB control

FIP and Advocacy

FIP and WHO Joint Statement
Systematic efforts will be required to enable pharmacists to achieve their full potential in contributing to TB care and control. This may include sensitizing both national TB programs and national pharmaceutical associations on the benefits of working together. Country-specific models of collaboration on the ground may then have to be developed, tried out, documented and scaled up. To this effect, a joint statement from the International Pharmaceutical Federation and WHO would be a first and important global step forward that may help not only in harnessing the role of pharmacist in TB control but also stimulate national and local efforts aimed at full involvement of pharmacists in TB care and control.

A joint FIP WHO working has been established to develop a Reference Paper on the role of the pharmacist in TB care and control. Following this work, a joint Statement between both organizations will be developed and officially launched at the 71st FIP Congress in Hyderabad, India 2011.

WHO Stop TB Partnership
FIP has been formally accepted to be a Partner of the WHO Stop TB Partnership initiative in 2010.

 

WHO World Health Day 2011

The theme for WHD 2011 is antimicrobial resistance (AMR), with specific reference to three of the world’s major infectious killers: HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. Together these diseases account for the deaths of five million people annually.

WHD 2011, with its focus on AMR in these three global diseases, will provide a valuable conduit to ensure that measures that can reduce and prevent the spread of often lethal drug-resistant forms of tuberculosis, malaria and HIV are established and enforced. At the same time, those measures will have a wider significance. Improved and strengthened health systems and policies that prevent AMR can impact on a broader array of diseases that threaten the lives of many millions of people worldwide. Pharmacists play an important role to ensure responsible use of all antibiotics.

Therefore, FIP has been invited to speak at the WHO High Level Panel on World Health Day in WHO with key messages targeting prescribers and dispensers, public and private, including non-governmental organizations to on the appropriate use of antimicrobials against TB, malaria and HIV.

 

Video 2011 FIP Congress Opening Ceremony

Click to view the video shown at the 2011 FIP Congress Opening Ceremony in Hyderabad, India to mark the signing of the joint WHO-FIP Statement on Tuberculosis