The foundations of IFAPP were laid in 1970 by three British pharmaceutical physicians – Bill Burland, Jan Jouhar and Richard Rondel, who conceived the idea of holding an international meeting of medical advisers (as pharmaceutical physicians were then known), that would bring together physicians and scientists from the pharmaceutical industry with those working in research institutes and academic medicine. Their objective was to internationalise the advancement of knowledge of therapeutic agents and their actions, and also to foster the relationship between industry and academia.
They formed an organising committee, drafted a program, contacted speakers, found a conference venue and, importantly for the discipline, were able to secure the Patronage of His Royal Highness, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.
The resulting “International Meeting of Medical Advisers in the Pharmaceutical Industry” (IMAPPI) was held in London in April 1972 and attracted 500 delegates, drawn from virtually every country in the world. The success of this meeting led to a decision that it should be repeated, and that this should be linked to the formation of some form of International Association to which the Associations of Medical Advisers around the world could affiliate themselves. A steering committee was formed immediately, consisting of
1) a Working Party representing all existing Associations and
2) a body of correspondents representing those countries without such an Association.
First, it was agreed that an International Federation of Associations of Medical Advisers to the Pharmaceutical Industry (IFAMAPI) should be formed. An outline constitution was drafted and circulated to the 12 countries (Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, France, Germany, Holland, India, Italy, Japan, South Africa, Sweden and the United Kingdom) that had Associations of Medical Advisers at that time. The Working Party had its first meeting in April 1973.
Second, it was agreed that the Second International Meeting of Medical Advisers in the Pharmaceutical Industry (2nd IMMAPI) would be held in Florence in October 1975. A theme was agreed and the programme put into first draft.
The composition of the Planning Committee for the Second IMMAPI was drawn from the membership of the Italian organisation, SSFA (Society for Applied Pharmacological Sciences). This arrangement became the model for subsequent meetings in the series. Inter alia, it was felt that in this way the position of the host Association would become more firmly established in its own country – an expectation which has been borne out in every subsequent Meeting.
In January 1975 a notice was sent out to all potential delegates attending the Second IMMAPI in Florence. This contained the draft constitution together with proposals for the election of an Executive Committee charged with running the affairs of the International Federation. One complete session of the Florence meeting was to be set aside for the Official Foundation of the IFAMAPI. At this Foundation Meeting, the title of the Association was changed to “International Federation of Associations of Pharmaceutical Physicians” (IFAPP) to reflect the general move away from regarding industry doctors as simply medical advisers.
The arrangements thus agreed became the bedrock for the future development of both IFAPP and of subsequent International Meetings.
Since then, the series has developed as follows (Table 1):
Table 1. IFAPP Meetings from 1978 to the present time
| Meeting | City | Year | Host Association | IFAPP President |
| 3rd | Brussels | 1978 | ABEMIP/BEVAFI, Belgium | Dr H Lahon |
| 4th | Paris | 1981 | AMIP, France | Dr R Rondel |
| 5th | Munich | 1984 | FÄPI, Germany | Dr K J Hahn |
| 6th | Brighton | 1987 | BrAPP, UK | Dr D Burley |
| 7th | Madrid | 1990 | AMIFE, Spain | Dr J Grimbert |
| 8th | Rome | 1994 | SSFA, Italy | Dr L Fuccella |
| 9th | Stockholm | 1996 | LILF/SAPP, Sweden | Prof A Rosen |
| 10th | Boston | 1998 | AAPP, USA | Prof P D Stonier |
| 11th | Berlin | 2000 | DGPharMed, Germany | Prof J-M Husson |
| 12th | Cancun | 2002 | AMEIFAC, Mexico | Dr J Schenk |
| 13th | Geneva | 2004 | SGPM/SwAPP, Switzerland | Dr D Criscuolo |
| 14th | Seoul | 2006 | KSPM, Korea | Dr C Allen |
Each meeting has produced an imaginative programme, reflecting the evolving pattern of drug development internationally, and the increasingly important role of the pharmaceutical physician in that process.
The proceedings of most of these meetings have been published in book form, and provide a unique record of the development of Pharmaceutical Medicine. The list of publications so far is shown in Table 2.
Table 2. Publications resulting from the IFAPP Meetings
| International Aspects of Drug Evaluation and Usage | (1972) |
| The Rationality of Drug Development | (1975) |
| Pharmaceutical Medicine - The Future | (1978) |
| Drug Safety - Progress and Controversies | (1981) |
| Drugs Between Research and Regulations | (1984) |
| The Focus on Pharmaceutical Knowledge | (1987) |
| Communications in Pharmaceutical Medicine | (1990) |
| Drug Development in the 90's - A Global Commitment | (1994) |
In addition to sponsoring these major international meetings IFAPP has provided a framework within which national Associations – particularly the smaller ones – can hold local meetings. This is an aspect which we hope will grow.
In collaboration with the EMEA IFAPP started in 1997 organising annual EMEA-IFAPP conferences at the EMEA, Westferry Circus, Canary Wharf, London:
1st - 10 October 1997 - Challenges in Clinical Development of Medicinal Products: How to Revitalise the Process
2nd - 29 January 1999 - Improving Co-Operation in the Clinical Development Process
3rd - 21 March 2000 - Crisis Management Concerning the Clinical Safety of a Medicinal Product
4th - 16 March 2001 - Managing Quality in Clinical Research and Development
5th - 22 February 2002 - Clinical Studies at the Extremes of Age
6th - 21 February 2003 - Biotech Products: Current Issues and Comparability
7th - 9 November 2004 - Orphan Drugs: Current Issues and Activities
8th - 17 February 2006 - EudraVigilance and Risk Management
In summary, from its beginnings in April 1972, the International Federation has grown steadily in size and scope. It has amply fulfilled its original objectives and in particular has provided support and encouragement for the development and strengthening of Associations at the national level. IFAPP can justifiably be proud of its achievements so far and can look forward with confidence to its strong, prosperous and active development in the years ahead. Its three founders could not have asked for more.
