By Evelyn Handel, ISOPP President and Netty Cracknell, ISOPP President Elect

ISOPP's first virtual Oncology Pharmacy Global Leaders meeting took place in July. Delegates were invited to the meeting after being designated by each country's national pharmacy / national oncology pharmacy organization or equivalent, to represent their country. The first meeting was both productive and well received.  

Participants shared their top priorities and challenges for oncology pharmacy in their respective regions.  General themes that emerged were:

• Education – formal and informal; from basic knowledge to advanced therapies and specialist e.g. oncogeriatric
• Training of pharmacy staff to become specialized in oncology. Minimum standards not officially in place in any country
• Core competencies for clinical pharmacy staff – minimum oncology pharmacy services within hospital pharmacy to consultant/advanced practitioner roles for oncology pharmacists
• Credentialing – for global pharmacy staff based on core competencies
• Capacity building – including workforce, infrastructure, and extended roles of pharmacy staff
• Workforce shortages and staff retention
• Better support for community pharmacists – translation of information for front line non-specialist staff
• Geographical and rural challenges to deliver treatments, especially advanced therapies 
• Pharmacist prescribing
• Drug shortages
• Accessibility to medicines – medication access and cost/coverage within countries, access to high cost drugs
• Safe handling – from basic principles to advanced therapies; how to manage and prepare

Future agenda items will include an overview of current/future ISOPP projects that are advancing the items discussed above, as well as discussions about how ISOPP can further facilitate increased global collaboration towards common goals, and what existing resources could be shared among the group to support growth of oncology pharmacy services globally.

The following organizations were represented at the meeting.

If your country is not represented, please contact us at services@isopp.org so we can work with you and your country’s oncology and/or pharmacy organization to secure representation. 

We will continue these virtual meetings on a quarterly basis and look forward to collaborating on our mutual goals for the advancement of global oncology pharmacy care for our patients.