The European Pharmacy Conference Infarma took place from 8 to 10 March at IFEMA, the Madrid Exhibition Centre. The conference, organised by the Madrid College of Pharmacists y Barcelona, and alternates between the two cities as the venue for each edition; it consists of the European Congress of Community Pharmacies, which features presentations on current issues in the world of pharmacy, and the Medicines and Parapharmacy Fair, where laboratories, companies, institutions and NGOs showcase their products and latest developments.
Over the course of the three-day event, nearly 30,000 visitors attended – 5,000 more than expected. Attendees were able to enjoy 6,000 m² of conference space, featuring a programme of 71 lectures, and 18,000 m² of exhibition space, where exhibitors gathered and 116 scientific posters were displayed. The opening ceremony featured a speech by the Regional Minister for Health of the Community of Madrid, Jesús Sánchez Martos; a presentation by the President of the Official College of Pharmacists of Madrid, Luis González Díez; and the opening lecture, delivered by Irene Villa, a journalist with degrees in audiovisual communication, humanities and psychology.
With regard to the conference, we would like to highlight the round-table discussion “Self-care in a pharmacy of the future”, which took place on 10 March, the final day of Infarma. The conference was moderated by the Director General of Anefp Jaume Pey, and featured four high-profile speakers: Javier Altemir, Senior Business Unit Director at Almirall HealthCare; Concha Almarza, General Manager at IMS Health; José Antonio Andreu, Managing Partner at Shoppertec Insights & Solutions, José Antonio Andreu, and José Ibáñez, a community pharmacist in Gavá. The discussion centred on the current role of self-care in pharmacies and explored what the pharmacies of the future might look like, drawing an interesting comparison between the current model and the one envisaged for 2030.
For its part, the pharmacy and health and beauty shop It brought together 350 exhibitors from a wide range of sectors within the pharmaceutical industry: medicines, dermatological products, herbal medicine, homeopathy, medical devices, optometry, orthopaedics and services for pharmacies, as well as a number of specialist magazines, NGOs and institutions.