Third International Conference for Improving Use of Medicines

Informed Strategies, Effective Policies, Lasting Solutions

New Location and Dates Confirmed

Conference Date: November 14-18, 2011

Place: Kervansaray Lara Convention Center & Spa Hotel, Antalya, Turkey

In November 2011, members of the international community will assemble in Antalya, Turkey for ICIUM 2011: Third International Conference for Improving Use of Medicines. Many working in the pharmaceutical field will remember the landmark ICIUM 1997 and ICIUM 2004 conferences, which summarized the evolving state-of-the-art policies and interventions to improve use of medicines.

The conference will again be highly interactive and designed to produce actionable results. Its focus will remain on presenting and summarizing knowledge about ways to improve medicines use and health, especially for vulnerable populations. Participants will help to shape evidence-based policy recommendations and a future research agenda on these topics. The sequence of half-day sessions will be organized around different levels of the health care system.

Interested individuals are invited to apply and register for ICIUM 2011. Registration will be limited to about 600 participants, and those with accepted abstracts, policy makers, and satellite meeting participants will be given preference. A limited number of scholarships covering registration fees, travel, and hotel will be available to those in need who have abstracts accepted or who are key policy makers.

Further detail about the conference can be found on this website.

As many are aware, ICIUM 2011 was originally scheduled to be held in Alexandria, Egypt, in April. The decision to relocate the conference was a very difficult one. We very much appreciate the planning, commitment, and hard work of the local organizing committee in Alexandria, as well as the staff at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, and the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office and its member countries. As we plan for the relocated conference, our Egyptian colleagues will continue to be involved. In recognition of their commitment and support, we have retained the Ebers Papyrus watermark design in this updated website (see explanation to the right).

Rescheduling was also made more difficult by the fact that conferences of this size are typically planned a year or two or more in advance. The welcome and assistance that ICIUM 2011 conference organizers have received from the new host country, Turkey, through its Ministry of Health and General Directorate of Pharmaceuticals and Pharmacy, in addition to the support from the Health Economics and Policy Association and the WHO Regional Office for Europe and its Turkish office, have helped make the transition to the new venue a smooth one.