Dubai International Pharmaceuticals Conference Concludes In Dubai

DUBAI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 27th Feb, 2020) Under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance, and President of Dubai Health Authority, the 25th edition of the Dubai International Pharmaceuticals and Technologies Conference and Exhibition, DUPHAT, successfully concluded today at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The three-day premier pharma event featured a number of key scientific sessions, workshops and highly specialised sessions, which focused on presenting the most up-to-date knowledge and advances in the drug manufacturing industry, while also highlighting the latest laws and regulations governing the administration and efficacy of drugs in the region.

On the third and final day of DUPHAT 2020, the scientific committee released the following recommendations: 1- Pharmaceutical regulatory and legislative authorities should adopt effective measures to analyse the root causes of medicine shortages/limited availability, and design/set practical solutions to confront these situations jointly in coordination with the local and regional industry.

2- Implement a governance system and productivity indicators in pharmaceutical establishments to enable functional accountability throughout the different pharmaceutical activities and to monitor institutional compliance.

3- Encourage pharmaceutical establishments to implement strategic planning, which is a powerful tool for ensuring success for organisations. A strategic plan with flexible and adjustable operational plans should be reviewed and re-evaluated at least annually for best practices.

4- Spread awareness about pharmaceutical care in the healthcare organisation being a continuous system that does not end with just providing treatment and dispensing medications, but rather continues through the necessity of communicating with patients for emphasising the importance of adhering to treatment, taking medications accurately, and ensuring a patient's knowledge of his/her health status and evaluating medical outcomes.

5- Develop advanced pharmaceutical education methodologies to suit the accelerating technological innovation and to prepare a generation of pharmacists able to accommodate with expanding and different pharmacy practice environments, and to empower them with new and innovative tools that can help them better serve their patients and improve health outcomes.

6- Enhance the role of pharmacists in pharmacovigilance and drug management policies at the community level through the inclusion of the principles of epidemiology in pharmacological practice, risk reduction strategies, and health surveys as tools that pharmacists should train for.

7- Encourage the development of research skills and advancement of knowledge between pharmacists that can lead to stimulating innovation in the field of pharmaceutical discoveries and to real advantages in actual and traditional practice.

8- Introduce courses to the pharmaceutical curricula that highlight factors influencing the development of professional roles and responsibilities in preparation for future roles for pharmacists, and future leadership and management needs.

9- Utilise technological innovations in the fields of health such as patient platforms, wearables, internet access, and telemedicine, with the goal of increasing patient participation in the care services and optimising therapy outcomes.

10- Benefit from technological advances to enhance the contributions of pharmacists to providing advanced pharmaceutical care. In addition, invest in automation systems and Artificial Intelligence, genetic pharmacology and mobile health applications (telemedicine).

11- Evolving roles and responsibilities in patient care necessitate that every pharmacy system should familiarise themselves with the best practices in the field of pharmacy education, practice, and workforce development, as well as research, in a goal to prepare pharmacy practitioners to be skilled to work in a professional environment.

12- The interchangeability with biosimilar products is increasing with the increased number of such approved products by international accreditation bodies. There is a need to monitor the evolving challenges in biosimilars science, production and clinical outcomes.

13- Adopt strategies to address the problem of bacterial resistance to antibiotics and rationalisation of antibiotic consumption for successful treatment such as a short stay in intensive care departments, the right choice for antibiotics, and giving them at the right time.

14- Monitor the growing trend towards gene therapy use and biological treatments in treating and preventing diseases, and the research and experiments to evaluate the potential major medical and economic effects of modern gene therapies.

15- Quality assurance in the pharmaceutical industry remains the most important controlling tool to ensure product quality and safety and to avoid errors. Strict tracking procedures should be implemented to ensure compatibility with international standards, as well as investing in technology to monitor the effectiveness of quality assurance processes.

DUPHAT is organised annually by INDEX Conferences and Exhibitions, a member of INDEX Holding, in strategic partnership with General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs, Dubai Health Authority, American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, International Society for Pharmacoepidemiology, European Federation for Pharmaceutical Sciences and European Society of Clinical Pharmacy.