People Improving the Use of Medicines: What We Know and Don’t Know

Program

Click here to download the conference program (including abstracts) that was provided to each registrant at the conference.

Conference proceedings

The full report of the proceedings of the conference is now available and can be downloaded here.

Conference story: Who Killed Rational Use of Medicines?

What were world famous detectives Herlock Sholmes and Dr Whatsup doing at a conference in Bangkok on improving the use of medicine? What exactly was the crime they were investigating and what clues were they searching for?

Read this story to find out how the ace detectives discovered a complex and worrying plot to prevent medicines from being used in a rational and effective way. How medicines – that are supposed to be lifesaving and beneficial to humans – end up doing harm to patients both physically and financially. And how, behind such inappropriate use, is a deep-rooted human tendency to search for ‘magic solutions’ for all problems, which is taken advantage of by vested interests willing to supply them for quick profits, without any scruples.

As they help uncover the plot Sholmes and Whatsup are aided by academics, health professionals, researchers and activists, who have studied factors driving the problem and possible responses too. Using new knowledge, perspectives and ideas that flowed freely among conference delegates, the detectives finally figure out who the real culprits are behind the murder of rational use of medicines.

And when they do, they are as surprised as you will be too, when you find out the answer. (Hint: The butler had nothing to do with it!)

Partner organisation

This meeting was organised in collaboration with our local Thai partner, the Drug System Monitoring and Development Centre (DMDC), which is based in the Department of Social Pharmacy at the Pharmacy Faculty, Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. This Centre focuses on consumer protection, medicines policy, the drug monitoring system and regulation policy.

Supporting organisation

This conference was kindly supported by: