Principles and Practice of Pharmaceutical Medicine

2.4 Education and training

programmes in

pharmaceutical medicine

In recent years, a common syllabus has become
established through the International Federation of
Associations of Pharmaceutical Physicians
(IFAPP) from which core curricula for courses
have been derived and form the basis for examina-
tions for diplomas and degrees where these have
been established. The syllabus in pharmaceutical
medicine covers medicines regulations, clinical
pharmacology, statistics and data management,
clinical development, healthcare marketplace,
drug safety and surveillance, the medical depart-
ment, therapeutics and drug discovery.
The first postgraduate course in pharmaceutical
medicine was inaugurated in 1975 in the United
Kingdom by AMAPI (now BrAPP) and was trans-
ferred to the University of Cardiff in 1978. Since
thattime several similar courseshavebeenfounded
in European universities, most from a close coop-
eration between pharmaceutical physicians, often
represented by the national Association of pharma-
ceutical physicians and academia.
Although there are national variations, to under-
take training where there is an outcome by exam-
ination to obtain a diploma or degree, doctors must
be registered in their country of medical qualifica-
tion, must have undertaken a prescribed number of
years of approved clinical training prior to taking a
post in pharmaceutical medicine and must have
spent a prescribed number of years, usually two,
working in pharmaceutical medicine prior to
obtaining the diploma or degree.
Morerecently,pharmaceuticalmedicinehasbeen
recognized and listed as a medical speciality in four
countries, Switzerland, Mexico, United Kingdom
and Ireland, resulting in accreditation of the physi-
cian specialists as the outcome of their training.
It might be expected that the content of courses
following the syllabus in pharmaceutical medicine
would be quite similar. However, cultural differ-
ences and local academic standards and practices
have induced major differences in the structure of
coursesandthetechniquesofassessmentandexam-
ination. As it is in the interest of pharmaceutical

medicine in general and pharmaceutical physicians

in particular, working in the international field of

medicinesdevelopmentandmaintenance,thatthere

should be mutual recognition between countries

of the diplomas in pharmaceutical medicine given

by awarding bodies, a process of harmonization

and approval of courses has been established by

IFAPP.

In 2002, the Council for Education in Pharma-

ceutical Medicine (CEPM) was inaugurated by

IFAPP with the objectives,inter alia, of contribut-

ing to the harmonization of existing postgraduate

courses in pharmaceutical medicine and promoting

mutual recognition of equivalent educational qua-

lifications between countries.

Europe

The CEPM has approved diploma courses in

pharmaceutical medicine in United Kingdom (2),

Switzerland, Belgium, Spain (2) and Sweden.

The Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine (London)

has recognised two diplomas, in Belgium

and Switzerland, as equivalent to the United

Kingdom.

United Kingdom

The Diploma in Pharmaceutical Medicine was

established in 1976 by the three Royal Colleges

of Physicians of the United Kingdom. The diploma

is awarded by examination once a year by the board

of examiners of the RCPs’ Faculty of Pharmaceu-

tical Medicine. The examination is knowledge

based and comprises MCQs, short questions,

essays and an oral.

Two international courses are available in the

United Kingdom which cover the syllabus for the

diploma. The University of Cardiff in conjunction

with BrAPP offers the postgraduate course in phar-

maceutical medicine which is the world’s longest-

running such course. This is a 2-year part-time resi-

dentialstructuredtrainingprogrammeforregistered

physicians consisting of 10 modules, five per year;

each module lasts three days, and the full course

counts 200 hours of teaching.

20 CH2 PHARMACEUTICAL MEDICINE AS A MEDICAL SPECIALTY