This global event brought together over 3,400 pharmacy professionals from nearly 100 countries to explore the future of pharmacy and its role in transforming health systems worldwide.
Since joining FIP in 2022, the PDA has contributed to international policy development in areas such as self-care, common ailment management, and pharmacy-based vaccination programmes. A key milestone has been the global adoption of the PDA’s award-winning Medicines To initiative, now supported across all FIP regions and endorsed by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Congress Theme: Pharmacy Forward, performance, collaboration and health transformation
The 2025 congress focused on how pharmacists can:
- Enhance healthcare system performance,
- Foster cross-sector collaboration,
- Drive transformative health outcomes.
Three subthemes guided the discussions:
- Making it Sustainable – Addressing resource efficiency, Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) , digital health, and sustainability in pharmacy education.
- Making the System Work – Exploring integrated care, telepharmacy, AI, and the evolving role of pharmacists.
- Making it Personal – Highlighting personalised medicine, patient engagement, and safe medication practices.
PDA engagement
The PDA participated in FIP Council meetings and shared member perspectives in sessions across the congress, meeting with delegations from multiple regions of the world to share best practice and workforce considerations.
A standout moment was the Pharmacists for Humanity event, hosted by the FIP Early Careers Pharmacists Group, which encouraged pharmacists to engage in humanitarian work. The PDA also hosted a UK reception where leaders from all five FIP Forums signed the Medicines To initiative under FIP’s HumanityRx programme. The FIP Forums were represented as follows:
- Ms Jocelyn Chaibva – President, African Pharmaceutical Forum
- Dr Wael Ali – President, EMRPharm Forum
- Dr Magaly Rodriguez de Bittner – President, Pharmaceutical Forum of the Americas
- Dr Venkata Narayana Tanniru – President, SEARPharm Forum
- Mr John Jackson – President, Western Pacific Pharmaceutical Forum
The ceremony was witnessed by FIP Bureau member, Mr Robert Moss (Netherlands), Vice President (via Board of Pharmaceutical Practice; 2024-2028) and Mark Koziol, PDA Chairman.
The group of signatories, along with FIP Chief Executive, Dr Catherine Duggan
Key takeaways
- Pharmacists must be central to health system transformation.
- Sustainability, innovation, and personalisation are essential to future pharmacy practice.
- Student and early career engagement is vital for shaping global pharmacy policy.
The congress concluded with reflections, awards, and the handover to the 2026 FIP Congress in Montréal. The PDA remains committed to representing UK pharmacists on the global stage and widening opportunities for members to participate in global partnerships which advance the profession through collaboration and innovation.
Learn more
- ‘Medicines To’ campaign recognised as Healthcare Innovation of the Year at the 2025 C&D Awards
- Pharmacists urged to support ‘Medicines To Gaza’ initiative on World Humanitarian Day
- International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) supports Safer Pharmacies Charter
- PDA Chairman speaks at FIP’s event on Astana Declaration on primary health care
Not yet a PDA member?
If you have not yet joined the PDA, we encourage you to join today and ask your colleagues to do the same.
Membership is FREE to pharmacy students, trainee pharmacists and for the first three months of being newly qualified.
Read about our key member benefits here.