ORIGINATION
Founded in 1959 as a section of the International Union of Physiological Sciences, the International Union of Pharmacology became independent in September, 1965. The name was changed to the International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology in 2006 to better reflect the composition of the membership.
VISION, MISSION, AND CORE VALUES
To be the leading organization in the world that represents, promotes, and advances pharmacology and its contributions to the global biomedical and healthcare sciences.
IUPHAR, in collaboration with pharmacology societies from around the world, will support pharmacology research, education and their application to improve global health.
VALUES
IUPHAR is committed to:
- Collaboration: Facilitating the exchange of information and discussion.
- Innovation: Promoting the science and clinical application of pharmacology.
- Integrity: Fostering ethical conduct and best practices.
- Generativity: Developing early career investigators.
- Inclusivity: Promoting equality, diversity and inclusion.
- Accessibility: Ensuring accessibility in resource-limited countries.
SUMMARY OF IUPHAR ACTIVITIES
Summary of IUPHAR Activities (PDF File) – The Guide to Pharmacology Originally created in a collaboration between the British Pharmacological Society (BPS) and IUPHAR, the website has been developed jointly with funding from the International Council for Science and the Wellcome Trust. It is intended to become a “one-stop shop” portal to pharmacological information. One of the main aims is to provide a searchable database with quantitative information on drug targets and the prescription medicines and experimental drugs that act on them.
The information in the database is presented at two levels: the initial view or landing pages for each target family provide expert-curated overviews of the key properties and selective ligands and tool compounds available. For selected targets, more detailed introductory chapters for each family are available along with curated information on the pharmacological, physiological, structural, genetic, and pathophysiological properties of each target.
The database is enhanced with hyperlinks to additional information in other databases including Ensembl, UniProt, PubChem, ChEMBL, and DrugBank, as well as curated chemical information and literature citations in PubMed.
PUBLICATIONS
The newsletter, Pharmacology International, is published every June and December. It reports on the latest developments within IUPHAR and offers opportunities for member societies to share information about their organizations and meetings.
The IUPHAR Committee on Receptor Nomenclature and Drug Classification (NC-IUPHAR) issues official reports, published in leading pharmacology journals. See the full list here.
The Clinical Pharmacology Division offers seminal publications on clinical and translational pharmacology. See the list here.
SPHERES OF INFLUENCE
IUPHAR is a member of the International Council for Science (ICSU) and participates in its scientific committees. It is also an NGO in official relations with the World Health Organisation.
Strategies include Regional Focused Conferences, newsletters, congresses, and young investigator awards.
CAREER DEVELOPMENT
IUPHAR offers PharmacoCareers.org, a career site dedicated to pharmacologists worldwide. Employers pay a modest fee to list positions, while job seekers can post CVs for free.
The Integrative and Organ Systems Pharmacology Initiative supports workshops for early career researchers, especially in developing countries.
ENHANCING PHARMACOLOGY IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
IUPHAR dedicates resources to assist emerging economies in growing pharmacology. Efforts include workshops, symposia, mentoring, and free access to The Guide to Pharmacology. Guidance and templates are available for creating new national pharmacology societies.
HOW TO GET INVOLVED
Volunteers are always welcomed on the many IUPHAR initiatives, committees, division and sections/subcommittees. For general information, visit the IUPHAR Organization webpage to click on the link(s) to the specific group(s) in which you have an interest, then click on the “How to Join” link. Or register with MyIUPHAR by clicking on the Members tab in the upper right corner of this webpage. For specific information, contact the IUPHAR Administrative Office to inquire about the current volunteer opportunities in your area of expertise or interest.