IUPHAR is governed by the Council, composed of delegates appointed by the member societies, division and sections, which holds its General Assembly at each World Congress of Pharmacology, a joint meeting of basic, clinical, and translational pharmacology held every four years. Meeting minutes are available to the public.
The Council elects an Executive Committee consisting of a President, First and Second Vice-Presidents, a Secretary-General, a Treasurer, and five Councilors. The officers of the Division of Clinical Pharmacology also sit on the Executive Committee.
The Nominating Committee is responsible for soliciting from the member societies the names of individuals nominated to serve on the next Executive Committee.
The scientific activities of IUPHAR are promoted by experts in the major experimental and clinical areas of the discipline.