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We are the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine (FPM), a charity and professional membership body on a mission to advance the science and practice of pharmaceutical medicine.
We set the highest scientific and ethical standards to help unlock the full potential of new medicines and make sure they are as safe as possible for patients.
We provide a collective voice for our 1,500 members who are striving to advance the research and development of new medicines to help prevent and overcome diseases that impact on the lives of patients worldwide. They are all medically-qualified and employed within the pharmaceutical industry, research organisations, drug regulatory authorities – or working as independent consultants.
Our mission is to advance the science and practice of pharmaceutical medicine by working to develop and maintain competence, ethics and integrity and the highest professional standards in the specialty for the benefit of the public.
Hear some of our members talk about our specialty
We set the curriculum for the training programme ‘Pharmaceutical Medicine Specialty Training (PMST)’, which guides clinicians through the early stages of their careers in pharmaceutical medicine.
After successfully completing PMST and passing the Diploma in Pharmaceutical Medicine, a trainee can apply to be on the General Medical Council (GMC) specialist register for pharmaceutical medicine.
We set the syllabus for five examinations:
• Diploma in Pharmaceutical Medicine (including the Certificate in Pharmaceutical Medicine) – achieving this qualification is considered a landmark achievement for any pharmaceutical physician.
• Diploma in Human Pharmacology – a two-year programme and examination to equip physicians with the knowledge and skills to serve as a principal investigator for human pharmacology studies of experimental medicines.
• Diploma in Experimental Therapeutics – an 18-month programme and examination designed for the benefit of physicians conducting early-phase trials.
• Certificate in Human Pharmacology – this one-year part-time programme is designed for physicians, scientists and clinical research managers with an interest in human pharmacology studies of experimental medicines.
Since 2012, all doctors with a licence to practise in the UK must legally undergo medical revalidation, usually every five years, if they wish to retain their licence.
The GMC sets the requirements for revalidation. FPM provides guidance on how to meet those requirements, relevant to the specialty of pharmaceutical medicine. We are the designated body for some of our members, providing regular appraisals and supporting them with revalidation.
We provide an authoritative voice on pharmaceutical medical issues. We work closely with the Royal Colleges of Physicians, other medical royal colleges, and many other organisations to advocate on behalf of our members.
Our main activities in this area include:
• Developing policies on all topics that may impact on the work of our members
• Responding to external consultations from government and regulatory authorities
• Promoting high ethical standards for our members and the wider profession
• Representing the views of our members in a wide variety of forums
Founded in 1989, we are a Faculty of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the UK:
We are an independent charity and everything we do is ultimately for the benefit of patients and the public.
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