 |
 |
November 21st, 2003
Octapharma Portugal & a Tale of Three Cities
What is it they say about buses? …. if you wait long enough three of them will come along together. And so it was in Portugal last weekend.
Between 12th-15th November, three major national congresses occurred simultaneously:
- Portuguese Association of Hospital Pharmacists
- Portuguese Association of Immune-Haemotherapy
- Portuguese Society of Haematology
All three events were supported by Octapharma Portugal who through a miracle of logistics and teamwork defied the myth that you can´t possibly be in two or more places at the same time!
The Immune-Haemotherapy congress was held in the historic university city of Coimbra and organised by Association President Dra Mª Helena Gonçalves. During the three day the programme included sessions on: Quality Systems, ISBT 128 automation, Acquired haemophilia, Haemovigilance, Evidence Based Medicine, Platelet typing, Transfusion practice, NAT testing and Organisational Models for Blood Collection and Transfusion Services.
 |
 |
Octapharma Portugal booth in Coimbra
(L-R Paulo Baptista, José-Carlos Lopes,
Ricardo Teixera, João Coelho) |
|
During the session on Transfusion Practice, delegates were treated to a thought-provoking presentation from internationally acknowledged expert Dr Celso Bianco, Vice-president of America´s Blood Centres. He posed the question: “Does rational decision-making exist in Transfusion Medicine?” and suggested that the answer is “No!” citing numerous recent examples of emotional rather than evidence based legislation that has been introduced in the USA. For example 10% of the US blood donor base has been lost through introduction of vCJD exclusion criteria, despite the fact that there is no evidence of human transmission. He urged the Portuguese attendees to consider real versus imaginary precautions and to concentrate their attention on the known problems in transfusion medicine, namely: ABO incompatibility errors, bacterial contamination, TRALI and other HLA related complications.
 Meanwhile in Northern Portugal, the spa town of Vidago hosted the Annual meeting of the Portuguese Society of Haematology. During a packed three days of science, delegates had the opportunity to attend round table, oral communication and poster sessions as well as the main educational programme, which this year focussed on:
- Waldenströms Macroglobulinaemia
- Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura
- Childhood Lymphomas
- Essential Thrombocytemia
- Immunological reconstitution following bone marrow transplant
- HIV & Lymphoma
- Neutropenia
During this meeting, new recommendations were launched on the diagnosis and management of immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP). These guidelines resulted from the conclusions of a Portuguese multidisciplinary working group set up, in collaboration with Octapharma, to identify best practice for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with thrombocytopenia in Portugal.
The recommendations include specific sections on children and adults as well as the management of ITP during pregnancy. To help facilitate the widespread adoption of the guidelines, Octapharma Portugal has produced a pocket sized booklet, which contains both the recommendations and contact information to enable general physicians obtain immediate advice from specialists in ITP.
|
 |
|
Luis Mendes, Paulo Costa |
Finally, the Portuguese Association of Hospital Pharmacists gathered in Porto for their 9th Annual meeting, the theme of which was “New Medicines: Growing Therapeutic Value?” Topics included the contribution of pharmacoeconomics to the selection of drugs and experiences in the promotion of rational drug use.
A fascinating plenary session, The Pharmaceutical Industry and the Rational Use of Drugs, addressed the issue of whether it is possible to combine the development of new medicines with specific strategies for rational use.
Marketing Manager, Mr Paulo Baptista said: “Organising and participating in three congresses on the same dates took a lot of planning and teamwork. However, as Octapharma Portugal is committed to all three groups we were determined to rise to the challenge. Supporting our customers and providing them with the latest data on our products and services is a fundamental part of our work”
|
|
 |
|
Ricardo Teixeira, Paulo Costa |
Over the course of this long weekend, the Octapharma Portugal team were pleased to meet customers both old and new. For more information on any of these events or Octapharma activities in Portugal please contact Paulo Baptista.
© Octapharma AG, 2003
|
