HCPC Europe to link up more closely with HCPC US
By
Tassilo Korab MSc. Executive Director HCPC Europe
Following an invitation by Sandra Luciano and Walter Berghahn, I had the pleasure to take part in HCPC’s annual symposium, which took part in Valley Forge on May 5th 2010 and to make a presentation on the European HCPC, our mission, successes and milestones of last year. While in the past both organizations followed their own goals very independently, considering the different background of pharmaceutical packaging on both sides of the Atlantic, this invitation was the result of a review of our strategies and the starting point of a closer cooperation.
Back in Europe I prepared our Member’s Assembly which was held in London on June 10th and at which I could report about the US organization’s very successful symposium. The decision that had already been taken before was confirmed and I was instructed to extend an official invitation to HCPC to take part at our annual conference which is scheduled for November 3rd and 4th 2010 at the Millennium Knightsbridge Hotel, London at which speakers from patient organizations, high ranking executives from pharma companies and consulting firms, specialized in the pharma business as well as researchers from at least one European top University will give their insights into the relation between packaging and patient’s compliance with and adherence to medicinal therapies. The conference will also include a show case and give interested companies the opportunity to present their innovative compliance enhancing packages. The definite agenda and details of the event will be available for the August edition of Unit Dose Alert.
At our Members Assembly we also had to elect two new members of the board from the candidates who had been nominated via E-polling in April. The two new members were elected with overwhelming majority. The newly elected Board members are Norman Niven, CEO of Protomed and member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and Phill Marley, Packaging Account Manger of AstraZeneca: And this is why they ran as candidates for the board seat and were prepared to shoulder additional work to their immense responsibilities as executives of their companies.
Norman Niven:" I became a member of HCPC-Europe because I believed that it was becoming recognized as the expert, independent organization promoting the benefits of packaging as a means of improving compliance. Indeed, I viewed HCPC-Europe as the leader in the promotion of the need to understand the causes and potential solutions to compliance. The range of knowledge, experience and abilities within the organization are outstanding and opportunity to be a part of such an exciting, dynamic and meaningful organization was readily accepted. Being invited to join the board was the obvious next step, so that it would be possible to have a material impact on policy and direction of HCPC-Europe. For me, both decisions were easy to make, and I have not had a minute’s regret."
Phill Marley said: "I joined the board of HCPC Europe because I have a passionate belief that we should do everything we can to ensure that the medicines that we produce are effective, and if taken according to the recommended regime, will aid patients in their wellbeing and recovery. I see first-hand in my industry role that the overall compliance of patients for all disease types is quite poor, particularly after a period of 6 months for chronic therapies, and I believe that packaging can go some way in helping to improve this situation. Joining the board of HCPC Europe for me is an opportunity to come together with others who share this belief, and also work in complimentary areas of the industry, e.g. component supply, contract packing or compliance monitoring. By cooperating together, the members of HCPC Europe can work to build a better future for all patients by increasing compliance through packaging solutions. "
The new board, strongly supported by the advisory board represents more than ever the involvement of all stakeholders in compliance packaging, the patients, researchers, doctors, pharmacists, the pharmaceutical industries as well as the packaging and machinery industries. We, in HCPC Europe believe that only by getting the buy in by all stakeholders we can achieve what we have defined in our mission statement: "to achieve demonstrable improvement of adherence to medicinal therapies by packaging-related initiatives."
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