We are proud to invite you to join the International Spring Workshop of the European Society of Clinical Pharmacy (ESCP) in Zurich, Switzerland, from 28 - 29 April 2022. 
This Workshop is organized together with The Pharmaceutical Care Network Switzerland (PCN-S).  


Patients with neurological disorders often present complex drug therapy profiles and may have reduced functional capacity because of their disorder. Whether it is the Parkinson's patient with swallowing difficulties and strict time intervals for taking their medication or the patient following an ischaemic stroke facing long-lasting rehabilitation, polypharmacy will impact significantly on their daily life. The ESCP Workshop 2022 in Zurich will discuss the potential clinical pharmacy interventions and their impact on patient outcomes.  Clinically active pharmacists should be involved in dose-finding interventions that need a repeated evaluation of the clinical outcomes to ensure their appropriateness. In this context, pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic issues need to be addressed on a prescriber level. 

Treatments for acute neurological events should be evaluated on a regular basis and reduced and deprescribed if necessary, especially at discharge to home.  Also, continuing reflection about therapy implementation in the patient's everyday life and constructive counselling is of great importance. These patients pose particular challenges to deciding the best possible treatment options, and interprofessional collaboration is critical in these situations.  New therapy options like for the prophylaxis and treatment of migraine or classical medicinal plants with new therapeutic indications such as cannabis must be evaluated and their place in existing, complex drug profiles determined. In addition, difficult questions arise about the substitution of expensive drugs whose patents expire with biosimilars. 


Furthermore, particularly vulnerable patients such as children are confronted with a gap of drug information that needs to be addressed through systematic and informed decision-making. 


ESCP Zurich 2022 will provide pharmacists with updates and networking opportunities around each of these topics.  It is an excellent opportunity to participate in a workshop in Switzerland, enjoy discussions with specialists and share experience with clinical pharmacists from all around Europe. Looking forward to meeting you in Zurich, Switzerland in April 2022.   

Dr. Monika Lutters, Symposium President, member of ESCP General Committee

Dr. Markus Messerli, Chair Scientific Committee, President PCN-S