First ATM Seminar in October

From 5 - 7 October 2011 the first Access to Medicine Seminar will be held in the Netherlands. A hands-on and interactive session for participants from pharmaceutical companies, investors and public health professionals. The seminar will provide a deeper understanding of how access to medicine activities can be measured and how a positive business case for companies can be built and realised.

The seminar is hosted by the SIR Institute for Pharmacy Practice & Policy in collaboration with the Department of Essential Medicines and Policies of the World Health Organization, Utrecht University and the Access to Medicine Foundation. We asked course directors Dr. Richard Laing and Dr. Pieter Stolk to tell us more about the seminar.

What’s the seminar all about?
Stolk: “The main goal of this seminar is to give participants the latest insights in developments in the access to medicine field and the changing role of companies and investors. In particular we focus on how the activities of companies can be translated into meaningful measures that identify best practices and how these in turn can be used to achieve change within an organization. We really want to give participants something that they can use in their day-to-day work.”

“That is why in this seminar we will take a ‘hands on’ approach,” ads Laing, “with ample room reserved for discussions. This gives participants an in-depth familiarity with measuring ‘Access to Medicine’ and allows them to discuss the meaning of access to medicine with other people working in the same area. It also gives them a broader perspective on trends and developments in the field. There are many indices that look at the performance of industry from a business perspective, this seminar goes beyond that by looking at the purpose of the pharmaceutical industry to develop and deliver medicines that the world needs.”

Interaction and inspiration
“In my work for the World Health Organization I have seen how the access to medicine field has evolved in the past decade,” says Laing, “especially when it comes to the role of the industry. For me the launch of the first Access to Medicine Index was a real milestone in this continuing development, it has played an important role in fueling the dialogue between industry, investors, and other actors. However, we are still in the early stages of this dialogue and with this Seminar we want to further stimulate all the different parties to interact and learn from each other.”

Stolk emphasizes the importance of multi-party involvement: “That is why we are so pleased with the collaboration with different organisations in this seminar, it allows us to bring together expertise and viewpoints from many different areas.”

Packed program
Stolk gives us the highlights: “On the first day we will have speakers that focus on developments in access to medicine and the changing role of companies. The second day will feature a number of case studies especially designed for this Seminar by the Access to Medicine Foundation that really allow us to discuss the methods and the ways in which companies are assessed in an in depth fashion. The final day will be devoted to what you need to achieve organizational change, based on best practices and discussions with experts.”

Laing on the value of sharing insights and ideas: “During the first day we will present and discuss different perspectives on what ‘Access to Medicine’ means. We will examine the topic from a public health and from an industry angle. During all the sessions, interaction is an important element; we will use group discussions and casework during the seminar. In this way we will get the most out of the two and a half days that we have.”

Not to be missed
Who are the two directors aiming for? Laing: “This seminar is relevant for anyone who is actively involved in access to medicine. Particularly for people working in CSR departments, neglected diseases R&D or emerging markets. Investors who are interested in tools such as the Access to Medicine Index should find a lot to their liking, but the seminar is also highly relevant for government officials, academics and NGOs that want to keep abreast of developments.”

For more info or registration please visit the website of the Access to Medicine Seminar.