English Version PARO Newsletter #8

IPSF PARO NEWSLETTER JULY 2021 | ISSUE 8

FROM PHARMACY TO THE STARS

PARO Newsletter #8 | English version

The International Pharmaceutical Students Federation (IPSF) is the leading international advocacy organization for pharmaceutical students and recent graduates, promoting improved public health through provision of information, education, networking and a range of publications and professional initiatives.

IPSF is divided into five regional offices directed by the Regional Working Groups (RWG). The Pan American Regional Office (PARO) was established in 2002 and represents all the pharmacy students and recent graduates in the region of America and the Caribbean. Since 2002 many important events happened in the PARO region like the 50th and 64th IPSF World Congress held in the City of Halifax, Canada in 2004 and Mendoza, Argentina in 2018. The 13th IPSF Pan American Regional Symposium (PARS) was also last organized in the city of San José, Costa Rica in 2019. Also several individuals from PARO serve in the Federation on the Executive Committee, including Ms. Dayl Eccles from The United States of America (IPSF President), Mr. Lucas Ercolin from Brazil (IPSF Chairperson of Internal Relations), Ms. Allie Jo Shipman from The United States of America (IPSF Secretary General), and Ms. Louisa Sullivan from the United States of America (IPSF Chairperson of Public Health).

The Pan American Regional Office (PARO) is dedicated to promoting communication and membership between the nations in the Pan American Region, through the diffusion of information about various programs, projects and events held in our beloved region as well as all over the world. One of the projects of the Pan American Regional Office is this IPSF PARO Newsletter.

The IPSF PARO Newsletter is a comprehensive newsletter for the Pan American Regional Office of the International Pharmaceutical Students’ Federation.

Its purpose is to provide updates about the Pan American region on behalf of the Regional Working Group and participating Member Associations, as well as to provide an outlook on the field of pharmacy within the Pan-American region.

PARO Newsletter #8 | English version

Words from the RMPO ..........................................................................................................4 Words from the Chairperson ..................................................................................................5 PARO Member Organizations ................................................................................................6 RWG Presentation .................................................................................................................8 Subcommittee Presentation....................................................................................................9 HLM Interviews: Matthew Hung ...........................................................................................13 HLM Interviews: Jorge Schlottke ..........................................................................................17 HLM Interviews: Lucas Ercolin .............................................................................................18 HLM Interviews: Van Duong .................................................................................................19 Chemistry and Pharmacuetical Student Week .....................................................................20 Celebration Of The 32nd Anniversary Of The Scientific Association Of Pharmacy Students Of Peru In Times Of Pandemic ............................................................................................22 The Renewal Of The Pharmacy Students Congresss Of Argentina In The Covid -19 Era ..24 Being part of ACEQF is not worth it, it's worth life ................................................................26 Substandard Quality Of The Antimicrobials Sold In The Streets Markets In Haiti ................28 What's it like to be leo in pandemic? ....................................................................................29 Christmas baskets of hope and happiness in times of pandemic ........................................31 Unifying APHA-ASP in difficult times ....................................................................................32 Canada's Pandemic Pharmacy Appreciation Month ............................................................33 Symposium: Pharmacist Challenges in Primary Care ..........................................................34 IV SINAEF: Virtuality was not a barrier ................................................................................35 IPSA spelling bee .................................................................................................................36 Pharmacist Day – Online Version ........................................................................................37 Importance Of An Interdisciplinary Collaboration For The Prevention And Control Of Emerging Zoonotic Diseases ...............................................................................................38 Enjoy your leadership and discover IVPN ............................................................................40 APEFyB SEP in times of pandemic ......................................................................................41 The Health effects of the Plastic Era ....................................................................................42 Pandemic Reflection: association of mental health with infection by Sars-Cov-2 ................44 Farmagamers: inclusion of games in the teaching of pharmacy classes .............................46 Traveling throw the world by Zoom: a review of Online SEP ...............................................47 Mixer Torque Rheometer as an application tool of Quality by Design (QbD) in the development of pharmaceutical granules .............................................................................49 The true meaning of Pharmaly .............................................................................................51

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PARO Newsletter #8 | English version

REGIONAL MEDIA AND PUBLIATIONS OFFICER´S ADDRESS Dear reader, The current 2020-21 state has taught us many challenges with which health sciences students have had to live, experiment and observe in the global state of emergency F e b . d e 2 that 0 2 0 |the V o lworld . 8 has experienced. However, this has not been an impediment to us remaining united as a region, rather the bond between us has continued to grow at all times throughout the process of adaptation to a new model of the world that has harmed us but at the same time, helped to develop plans, strategies and projects on how to challenge those difficulties and health problems that we have to face in the present and future of our profession.

I am very grateful to the Regional Working Group who have led in an excellent way so that PARO continues to improve and grow with the new projects and objectives that are providing great advances to the region, I am also happy and satisfied with the work of each member of the subcommittee of

PARO.

They

have

made

an

enormous

effort

and

demonstrated edication to providing the region with greater dynamism, collaboration and connection to the entire team. I also have to give the greatest thanks to the PARO community in believing and trusting in this great project that all the PARO Team has been doing, I thank them for the great support and help they have given each person from social networks and digital media.

The PARO Newsletter 2020-2021 edition number 8, you will see many events, activities, challenges and discoveries made by the huge PARO community that continues and will continue to be united despite distances and language barriers.

I hope you can enjoy every story, event and discovery that is written on every page of the Newsletter.

"A new discovery, a new hope" Sincerely, Mauricio Abel Miranda Chavarría Regional Media and Publications Officer of the Pan American Regional Office 2020-2021

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PARO Newsletter #8 | English version

REGIONAL MEDIA AND PUBLIATIONS OFFICER´S ADDRESS Dear IPSF PARO members, It is an absolute pleasure and privilege to serve as the Chairperson of the Pan American Regional Office this F e bwith . d e 2the 0 2 0 COVID-19 | Vol. 8 mandate. This year is like no other,

pandemic bringing a myriad of uncertainties into our education. Nevertheless, PARO members have demonstrated resilience and perseverance during many challenging times that we have had to face.

I am honoured to share with you the eighth PARO Newsletter, which is a reflection of the immense effort, creativity and hard work done by our members. It depicts all the amazing activities conducted in the region and all the opportunities that were offered to pharmacy students and young graduates throughout the Americas.

The current issue of the PARO Newsletter also contains some articles from new external partners of the region – namely IVPN

Network

diversifying

and

our

IVSA

partnerships

Americas. ultimately

Increasing increases

and the

visibility of the region and enriches the opportunities that our members can benefit from.

I would like to acknowledge the great effort of the PARO Regional Working Group and the PARO Subcommittee members, who have put in numerous hours of tireless work to ensure that all PARO projects, publications and campaigns are successful. Your dedication is truly inspiring, and I could not be more proud of you all successfully leading regional initiatives.

I sincerely hope that reading the current issue of the Newsletter inspires all PARO members to become involved in various opportunities offered by IPSF PARO. Sincerely, Sofiya Terekhovska Chairperson of the Pan American Regional Office 2020-2021

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NORTH, CENTRAL AND CARIBBEAN REGION OF PARO FULL MEMBER OF PARO

MEMBER IN ASSOCIATION OF PARO

CAPSI | Canada

IPSA-NSU | USA

APhA-ASP | USA

AHEP| Haiti FEFARMEX | Mexico

BAPS | Belize

OEQF | Guatemala

FECOEF| Costa Rica

AGEQF-BO | El Salvador

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SOUTH REGION OF PARO FULL MEMBER OF PARO

MEMBER IN ASSOCIATION OF PARO

ACEQF | Colombia

APEFYB | Peru

ACEF | Peru

FEBRAF | Brazil

SOCEIFARBIO| Bolivia

ANEQYF| Chile

AEFRA | Argentina

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INTERNATIONAL PHARMACEUTICAL

STUDENTS FEDERATION

PARO REGIONAL WORKING GROUP 2020-21

Mr. Daniel Rivera IPSF PARO Secretary

Ms. Sofiya Terekhovska Chairperson

Ms. Laura Delgadillo Pérez IPSF PARO RPO

Ms. Angela Quiñones Chairperson of PARS 14th

Mr. Mauricio Abel Miranda IPSF PARO RMPO

Ms. Faimi Darha Bellerice IPSF PARO RRO

Mr. Jean-Pierre Regalado Immediate Past Chairperson

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PARO TEAM 2020-2021

Regional Relations Subcommittee

Mr. Juan Bernier

Ms. Melissa Kieley

Mr. Lukas Gallegos

Ms. Astrid Cano

Mr. Cristian Tinco

Ms. Stefanie Espina

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PARO TEAM 2020-2021

Regional Media and Publications Subcommittee Mr. Hugo Napán

Ms. Angela Micovic

Ms. Yan Wu

Mr. Edgar Cerón

Ms. Anaís Marques

Ms. Lindsay Quesada

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PARO TEAM 2020-2021

Regional Translation and Communications Subcommittee

Ms. Estefania Poggi

Ms. Gabrielle Gimenes

Ms. Yu Chen Zhu

Ms. Ideane Claudia da Silva

Ms. Maria Gonzalez

Mr. Kevvin Alexander Tzib

Ms. Yifan Zhou

Ms. Wendy Lily Fernandez

Ms. Ximena Tordoya

Ms. Fayette Claoudja

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PARO TEAM 2020-2021

Regional Regional Projects Subcommittee

Mr. Pablo Hidalgo Humanitarian Subcoordinator

Ms. Yang Guo Professional Development Subcoordinator

Ms. María Fernanda Sánchez Public Health Subcoordinator

Mr. Greivin Vega Álvarez Pharmacy Education Subcoordinator

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PARO Newsletter #8 | English version

Angela Micovic, a member of the PARO Media and Publications Subcommittee had the unique opportunity to interview an Honorary Life Member, Matthew Hung, a Canadian hospital pharmacist over Zoom to discuss his previous and current involvement with IPSF PARO and how this has shaped his professional identity. Please enjoy this exclusive interview – we hope it will encourage pharmacy students to seek more ways to get involved with IPSF and PARO!

Start by telling us a little bit about yourself.

I graduated from Laval University in Quebec City in 2018. From there, I went on to complete my residency at the University of Montreal and the Montreal Jewish General Hospital in 2019. Today, I work as a clinical staff pharmacist in critical care at St. Mary’s Hospital. It is a teaching hospital set in the middle of the city, and it is affiliated with McGill University. I also consult for the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) in Practice Development where I am involved in research, writing documents, and supporting the staff in this area. I also sit as a volunteer member on the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists Pharmacy Practice Vision Committee. We work on projects that promote excellence in hospital pharmacy practice.

How did you initially become interested in IPSF? I first discovered IPSF in a Facebook post during my first year of pharmacy school. I saw a post about their delegation at the World Health Assembly (WHA), and I found that it was a unique experience, so I started to look further into what it was all about.

From there, I ended up applying to the Pan American Regional Office (PARO).

What IPSF positions did you hold?

The first two positions I held with PARO were the Diabetes Mellitus & Healthy Living Campaign Subcoordinator as part of the Regional Projects Subcommittee and member of the Membership Promotion Subcommittee. During this year (2015), a call for the Regional Media and Publications Officer opened, so I applied, and my application was successful. That same year I had the opportunity to attend the World Health Assembly (WHA) for the first time. The following year, I was elected as PARO Secretary (2016-2017), where I really learned a lot about the Federation.

I had the opportunity to attend PARS which was held in Mexico City, where I was then appointed to the position of Chairperson of PARO. During my year as Chairperson (20172018), I was on a student exchange in France, so this facilitated travelling to the Netherlands and other places for various meetings. I also attended the WHA for a second time, but this time I was a member of the Organizing Committee, so I had more responsibilities with regards to developing policy statements and other contributions. That same year, I attended the Pan American Regional Symposium (PARS) in Peru along with World Congress (WC) in Argentina. At these events, I was able to visit different countries and provide talks about IPSF. The following year, I was Immediate Past Chairperson (2018-2019) and appointed an Honorary Life Member. In my final and fifth year of IPSF involvement, I was on the Advisory Board of IPSF (2019-2020).

What did you involvement?

learn

from

your

IPSF

I was PARO Chairperson in my last year of pharmacy school, and during my last semester I was on my exchange in France. I even had to have Regional Working Group meetings at 3 am due to the 6-hour time difference because the meetings were always based on when most people were available! Furthermore, it was challenging at times to prioritise tasks and time manage, but a trick that I found useful was scheduling a dedicated time to work on PARO tasks; I took a few hours of each Saturday to specifically work on IPSF so I wouldn’t get behind on any projects or pending deadlines. I also worked as a pharmacy student and still had schoolwork to complete, so I would definitely say being organised and managing your time well is really important!

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PARO Newsletter #8 | English version How did the skills you obtained from your IPSF involvement help you with your personal and professional life?

If I could go back, I would do it all over again! Professionally, it helps you learn about the various practices around the world and experience within IPSF helps you further develop competencies like time management and public speaking; skills that will help you and that you can apply later in life. Travelling on your own and attending conferences or symposiums help you grow as a pharmacist beyond the classroom. I personally think it’s one of the best ways to network because you develop friendships from around the world! You also get to meet up with these friends when you go visit that country again. You may even end up working with these people again in subsequent years to come. Other skills I developed during my time with PARO include some we have already mentioned, like time management, organisation, and task prioritisation. Public speaking during meetings and General Assemblies can be nerve racking at first, but it helps you become more culturally aware when you consider the audience is people of different backgrounds who practice pharmacy differently across various countries.

You’re still involved in so many ways to this day! Did any of your IPSF involvement help guide you into a residency program or was that something you had always planned to do after pharmacy school?

In terms of pharmacy school, I always liked being involved in something. I don’t think I could have only studied for my classes, so that’s why I always felt like I had to be involved with something else, like IPSF. Even during residency, I felt like I needed to continue something on the side which is how I got that volunteer experience with FIP. Now in my hospital career, I still feel like to I need to do something on the side to contribute and develop my skills in different ways.

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PARO Newsletter #8 | English version

Can you describe how the global COVID-19 pandemic affected your career this past year?

Hospital Career In terms of my career at the hospital, COVID really affected that in terms of new policies, increased patient load, and the number of students we were able to keep at the hospital to keep everyone safe and avoid outbreaks. There were a lot of adjustments that had to be made. During the First Wave in Canada, my hospital was lucky enough to be considered a “green” hospital, so we weren’t admitting COVID patients, especially in our ICU. It was still scary because we never knew when things would change, and we were the hospital that would take over patient care if other hospitals in the city ever became overloaded. Our ICU does not have a large capacity, so we had to take over the recovery room, rebuild the crash cart from scratch, and review policies to ensure we were ready if we ever saw a rise in ICU numbers. All of these preparations were challenging to manage. Fortunately enough for the patients, we didn’t have to get to that level.

During the Second Wave, our hospital became a “red” hospital and we started admitting positive patients, but our ICU remained “green” the whole time, so there was never too much of a burden on the system in the city where we had to accept ICU-level patients. Nonetheless, we still felt the effects because other units were at maximum capacity.

IPSF Due to travel restrictions around the world, events like WC and PARS were cancelled. Many of these events were converted into online or virtual events which were good ways to adapt, but it isn’t quite the same thing as taking the time off to travel to a different country or city and working with other members in person.

FIP Consultant Work In terms of my work with FIP, I don’t think it impacted the method of working because it would have been remote regardless, but our projects were adjusted so that COVID-19 documents and guidelines were being prioritised and updated, especially at the beginning of the pandemic.

What lessons did you learn from the current pandemic and how does that empower us as a profession?

I would say being able to adapt and work within your healthcare team. At the beginning of the pandemic, there many drug shortages in Canada for medications like propofol and other sedatives. Pharmacists have the expertise in pharmacotherapy to make recommendations and work with physicians and nursing staff to make sure we are optimising our medication use as best as possible, which is so important.

Realising the role of a community pharmacist as a first-line healthcare provider was also very important because clinics had temporarily closed at the beginning of the pandemic, and patients were not able to leave their homes to see their doctors. Reinforcing the role of the community pharmacist as a frontline health professional was therefore a huge aspect of the pandemic for this reason and should be encouraged beyond this, pandemic or not. Community pharmacists are so close to their patients and the community in which they practice. Their role, such as being able to provide appropriate follow up, is super important.

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PARO Newsletter #8 | English version

What is some advice you would provide for students looking to become involved with IPSF PARO? I ask every student I precept if they have heard of IPSF or similar organisations! I am biased when I say this, but I do think every pharmacy student should experience these opportunities, even if they have the smallest interest. I’ve helped encouraged friends to participate in the Student Exchange Programme (SEP), and I think getting to participate in events like PARS is a really unique opportunity. There is a range of opportunities with IPSF and PARO, so depending on the time that you want to contribute, you can always find something that will fit your schedule and interests.

I think it is also the best way to network and meet new, like-minded people! Living in this day and age allows you to have everything available to allow for networking and keeping in contact with others. As you graduate from school and move onto your career, you still keep many of these friends with whom you worked together on a committee or just happened to sit together at General Assembly. You provide encouragement for those who have a continued interest in international pharmacy and may even end up working together again.

What is some final advice you would provide to students about becoming future practicing pharmacists?

The first thing I would say is to join IPSF! It is a great way to develop many complementary skills and provide you with unique experiences! It is also a great way to build up your CV or resume when applying for residency or jobs because you get the opportunity to showcase your diverse experiences within the Federation and unique contributions to pharmacy. Pharmacy school isn’t easy and being involved with IPSF is an additional contribution you have to make, but I think it is well worth it because of the people you meet and the professional experiences you get out of it.

Attending symposiums and conferences are great networking opportunities. You get to learn how to communicate with people who may not speak the same native language as you and learn how pharmacy practices differ across countries.

The world of pharmacy is also pretty vast. Usually, we get stuck between choosing community or hospital practice but there are tons of options out there – public health, research, academia, epidemiology, humanitarian work, drug development, and so many other subsets of healthcare!

IPSF is just one of the ways to discover and explore these possibilities.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Thank you to Matthew Hung for taking the time to provide his own experiences about his involvement with IPSF, PARO, and FIP. We would also like to extend a thank you for all his hard work and contributions as a frontline healthcare worker in Canada during COVID-19.

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PARO Newsletter #8 | English version

Start by telling us a little bit about yourself.

I am a pharmacist graduated from the Universidad Nacional de San Luis in 2015. I work in the Oncologic Center of San Luis and I am IVPN ambassador in Argentina.

How did you become interested in IPSF? It was in 2012 when I was looking for some opportunities for pharmacy students. I found the IPSF WC in Egypt fan page on Facebook and I immediately fell in love with IPSF. I decided to share the idea of IPSF with some mates and we created AEFRA, the Asociación de Estudiantes de Farmacia de la República Argentina. A year later we presented our association to the IPSF GA during the WC in Utrecht and since that moment to the date our association has been involved with the federation. I can highlight the IPSF PARS of 2015 that we organized in San Luis and the WC that we organized in Mendoza in 2018.

What IPSF positions did you hold?

PARO- RRO 2013-14 PARS Chairperson 2015 PARO Chairperson 2015-2016 WC General Advisor 2018 HLM since 2018 What did you learn from your IPSF involvement?

I learned many things, related and not related to the pharmacy profession. First of all I had to learn and improve my English. I learned to use digital tools like skype, google drive, Dropbox and many other software. I learned about project management, team work, smart goals and events organization. Also the relation with many colleagues from all over the world gave me a new view of the globe, the cultures, religions and traditions, how different they are, but at the same time how close we can be through IPSF. How did the skills you obtained from your IPSF involvement help you with your personal and professional life?

I continue to use many tools and learnings that I got during my 6 years full involvement on IPSF. The language, the online job, the tips and tricks for good international communication, the e-learning and the leadership tools that we learned during the LIT programs.

Do you think IPSF influenced your career path? Please explain how.

Yes it did. It was very important to get some achievements like being part of the staff of the FIP WC in Buenos Aires in 2016 and the involvement with IVPN at this moment.

Can you describe how the global COVID-19 pandemic affected your career this past year?

It did not affect my daily work at all. It was almost the same. The only thing that changed was the use of PPE for instance, face masks and the use of alcohol gel among others. As pharmacists we are in the front line against this pandemic and we have to keep there, always for the service of our communities.

What lessons did we learn from the current pandemic and how does the empower us as a profession?

We learned that e-learning is possible (although it does not replace 100% the face to face meeting) and it is a big tool for equity in the access to knowledge. It makes us closer than we actually are. We learned to value the importance of the little things like the meetings with our families and friends that, because the pandemic,

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PARO Newsletter #8 | English version

were forbidden a lot of time.

What is some advice you would provide for students looking to become involved with IPSF/PARO? Go ahead. IPSF is an amazing platform to develop your soft skills like your leadership, team work, communication, critical thinking, time management, among others. And also give you a lot of knowledge to improve your hard skills too. With the correct blended management of those skills you can start a path to success in your professional career.

What is some final advice you would provide to students about becoming future practicing pharmacists?

As a pharmacist you will be facing many and new situations every day. You will face people that will be asking you for your help and advice. It will be not just delivering medicines. We are already in a digital era that is demanding us continuous learning, so getting your pharmacy degree will be just the beginning, so keep calm and enjoy it :)

Start by telling us a little bit about yourself.

I graduated from the Universidade Estadual Paulista in 2014 and today I am a Humanitarian Pharmacist.

How did you become interested in IPSF? By 2011 I participated in the activities of Executiva Nacional dos Estudantes de Farmácia, which had recently discovered the IPSF. I joined the IPSF WC in 2012 to apply for membership for my organisation and participated until 2017.

What IPSF positions did you hold?

PARO Regional Relations Officer (2012-2013; 2014-2015), Chairperson of PARO (2013-2014), Chairperson of Internal Relations (2015-2017) and Permanent Officer (2016-2017).

What did you learn from your IPSF involvement?

After working for many years in IPSF, you end by learning a little of this and a little of that. It goes from skills that help on the professional level, but also opens you for new concepts, cultures and ideas.

How did the skills you obtained from your IPSF involvement help you with your personal and professional life?

The management skills had a major impact, which allowed me to work as Project Manager. It also provided me with the network that provided both friends and professional opportunities.

Do you think IPSF influenced your career path? Please explain how.

The network I built, international experiences and contact with humanitarian NGOs had major influence in my career. As humanitarian, joining a mission is a serious decision, for both NGO and employee, and by having the opportunity to join different activities in different countries, as well as know people from the sector and learn about the NGOs and their missions during my participation on important events.

Can you describe how the global COVID-19 pandemic affected your career this past year?

Yemen is the largest humanitarian emergency - Travelling to the field included a risk, and the projects had to implement changes in every level, from human resources to structures. This also impacted the other NGOs .

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PARO Newsletter #8 | English version working in Yemen, both with the changes and the sudden impact on funding. Therefore, it also had an impact on the job opportunities.

What is some advice you would provide for students looking to become involved with IPSF/PARO? Yemen is the largest humanitarian emergency - Travelling to the field included a risk, and the projects had to implement changes in every level, from human resources to structures. This also impacted the other NGOs working in Yemen, both with the changes and the sudden impact on funding. Therefore, it also had an impact on the job opportunities.

What is some final advice you would provide to students about becoming future practicing pharmacists?

If you are lost, FIP prepared a Career Development Toolkit!

If you are looking to join IPSF, keep an eye for the opportunities!

Start by telling us a little bit about yourself. How did you become interested in IPSF and what IPSF positions did you hold?

I went to school at University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA, USA and graduated in 2014. I am currently working as a telepharmacist.I became interested with IPSF when my university was holding committee appointment, and I wanted to expand my scope of pharmacy beyond our borders. I was Chairperson of PARO for two terms, Exec Advisory Board Member, HLM. What did you learn from your IPSF involvement? How did the skills you obtained from your IPSF involvement help you with your personal and professional life?

Pharmacists play an important role in healthcare throughout the world, and there is still much work to be done to advance our profession. IPSF has allowed me to meet and collaborate with people from different backgrounds for a common objective.

Do you think IPSF influenced your career path? Please explain how.

I certainly believe IPSF has helped me lead in my career, and I am still working on advancing the profession in a way that can be more beneficial to people around the world.

Can you describe how the global COVID-19 pandemic affected your career this past year?

The pandemic has actually moved my telepharmacy work from the office into the home space.

What lessons did we learn from the current pandemic and how does the empower us as a profession?

In the USA, the community is now leveraging pharmacists more to provide vaccines and COVID education.

What is some advice you would provide for students looking to become involved with IPSF/PARO? Although it may be difficult in a pandemic, there are still opportunities to be involved virtually. Getting to know and work with colleagues across borders is truly a rewarding and lifetime experience.

What is some final advice you would provide to students about becoming future practicing pharmacists?

My advice would be to do the best you can for your patients, profession and self. Becoming a pharmacist is only part of your journey and is not the end of your career growth and development.

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CHEMISTRY AND PHARMACEUTICAL STUDENT WEEK EL SALVADOR UNIVERSITY EL SALVADOR 2020 In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic the AGEQFBO was obligated to reinvent the celebration to avoid losing the tradition, we could not lose this important date; thus, “XXX Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Student´s week” was celebrated on a virtual way, where academic and recreational activities took place.

Academic: Conferences international professionals.

by

national and pharmaceutical

Recreational: Quimipreguntados, which consisted of asking questions about pharmaceutical chemistry and general knowledge to the participants, taking into consideration the level of the career they were studying.

Parchis tournament, a popular cellphone game in El Salvador.

Instagram stories of what they liked about the conferences that we planned.

A publication was made on the AGEQFBO Facebook profile in which they asked to comment an experience that students have lived inside the laboratories of the faculty.

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CHEMISTRY AND PHARMACEUTICAL STUDENT WEEK EL SALVADOR UNIVERSITY EL SALVADOR 2020 In all four recreational activities we awarded a winner, the prize was sent to the residency of each winner.

We could not let go the tradition of crowning the Queen of the faculty, and to recall previous reigns we asked queens from 2012 to 2019 for a small video.

Without a doubt the “XXX Chemistry and Pharmacy Students’ week” was a challenge to fulfill to keep alive the tradition for another year

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CELEBRATION OF THE 32nd ANNIVERSARY OF THE SCIENTIFIC ASSOCIATION OF PHARMACY STUDENTS OF PERU IN TIMES OF PANDEMIC. This ceremony consisted of a virtual meeting between current and past members.

The ceremony began with the opening remarks of the current president of the national board.

Next, the words of one of our founders, Dr. Amelia Villar, who expressed her congratulations and recalled a bit of the work that we have been doing since 1989, she also expressed her joy mentioning that turning 32 is not an easy task in an institution. She also stressed that she is quite pleased with the work we have carried out in science and that she was glad that we had not left public health behind, "We are first a professional health career and we still have a lot to develop to our country."

She emphasized our pharmaceutical role and how much more we can improve by training and acquiring competencies and hand in hand with our Pharmaceutical Chemicals college.

The national board was congratulated for taking the reins of the association.

Then we listened to the Pharmaceutical Chemist Johan, who greeted us from the Capital of our country, Huancayo. Dr. Johan congratulated the work done in the First Hispanic American Congress of Pharmacy Students, followed by a congratulation to the past members and current members.

“ACEF is part of our pharmaceutical genetics. We must continue with the tradition of being an acefist and continue at the forefront of public health. Being a member of the ACEF family is synonymous with support”, mentioned Dr. Johan.

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CELEBRATION OF THE 32nd ANNIVERSARY OF THE SCIENTIFIC ASSOCIATION OF PHARMACY STUDENTS OF PERU IN TIMES OF PANDEMIC. That night we also had the participation of the members for the anniversary of ACEF, demonstrating various talents.

Scholarships and awards We held the scholarship raffle for the 1st NATIONAL COURSE OF ADVANCED BIBLIOGRAPHIC SEARCH. Awards were made to heart accents in different categories, reaching awards to all venues.

Dr. Percy crossed Carrasco Past member professor Professor of pharmacy and biochemistry from Trujillo Professor of the public health department Teacher in healthcare pharmacy

He gave his words of congratulations, for the growth of ACEF, for the training of each of the pharmaceutical professionals, for teamwork, for cultivating values, for the spirit of helping others.

Following act Dr. Omar Ruiz acefist with 25 years of experience who lives in New York was heard.

He showed his appreciation for the invitation extended his congratulations to the growth and maintained the Acefist spirit.

Likewise, the experiences, the learning that still persist today. ¨ Happy Anniversary ACEF-PERÚ¨

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THE RENEWAL OF THE PHARMACY STUDENTS CONGRESSS OF ARGENTINA IN THE COVID - 19 ERA CAEF is the most important Pharmacy Student Congress in the Argentine Republic held annually, but in 2020, it was renewed so it could adapt to the situation experienced with COVID-19.

This Congress is AEFRA´s - The Pharmacy Students Association of the Argentine Republic- most important event aimed at pharmacy students, organized by students and recent graduates, where different topics related to their academic and professional training are addressed both in the healthcare field as well as in the social aspect, since an exchange of diverse views is generated between future pharmacists in the country.

The world situation regarding SARCOV-2 forced us to make the decision to cancel the in-person setting in mid-May 2020, which would've been held in the province of La Rioja, in our country.

As time passed we realized that the year would not be the same without our Congress therefore we decided to give our members the opportunity to meet within the possibilities of the chaotic and different year that we were living.

The National Commission and the regional representatives organized . the Virtual CAEF.

It wasn't the typical event we were used to, but it was renewed and aligned with what was in context.

It consisted of two days where there was a workshop and talks given by speakers from all over the country.

24

THE RENEWAL OF THE PHARMACY STUDENTS CONGRESSS OF ARGENTINA IN THE COVID - 19 ERA At the end of the first day we had the pleasure of having a streaming of the musical group Opus 4, courtesy of a sponsor. During the second day, the talks and the workshop were given by professors from the National University of Rosario, in the province of Santa Fé.

To culminate the Congress, an Instagram live was held with a DJ and talks by former AEFRA presidents.

We are very content because the call was larger than expected and thanks to this virtual modality many students had access to the congress, allowing the inclusion of many new voices.

Participating, commenting, sharing, build relationships with others, were some of the purposes of this wonderful Congress that takes place year after year. We look forward and we count on your contribution for this 2021.

25

BEING PART OF ACEQF IS NOT WORTH IT, IT'S WORTH LIFE The Colombian Association of Students of Pharmaceutical Chemistry (ACEQF in Spanish) is a non-profit organization, consisting of students belonging to programs that train Pharmaceutical Chemists in Colombia. It is dedicated to leading grassroots processes for the academic, social, and cultural development of all its members. In this way, the aim is to train integral professionals who are at the service of the community in general.

In order to commemorate Cardiovascular Risk Day on 03/14/2020, this time it was Usiacuri's turn. The ACEQF Atlantic section board traveled to Usicuri intending to give talks on good healthy living habits to prevent cardiovascular risks, donated clothes, books, and measured blood pressure. The inhabitants of the vulnerable area were very happy and comfortable with the activities that were carried out. The aims of the activity were giving talks on good healthy living habits to prevent cardiovascular risks, donated clothes, and measured blood pressure.

Also, every year a National Symposium of Pharmaceutical Chemistry students is held in Colombia. Last year, the V National Symposium of Pharmaceutical Chemistry Students was planned to be held in April. However, the pandemic caused by the new Coronavirus did not allow it to be carried out and it was decided to postpone it. So, it took place from 09/11/2020 to 09/13/2020 an online event with 9 speakers during 3 days.

26

BEING PART OF ACEQF IS NOT WORTH IT, IT'S WORTH LIFE The aim was to give extra education to pharmaceutical students of Colombia and other countries.

Therefore, additional activities, such as raffles with contests, were held.

Furthermore, an event was celebrated: A smile at Christmas, from the Universidad del Atlántico in conjunction with ACEQF Sectional Atlantic collected utensils, food, gifts to give to a population of children located in the neighborhood Santo Domingo de Guzmán in Barranquilla.

It turned out on 12/24/2020. Also, it was a great day because we were able to bring joy and gifts to each of the children present at the activity

It is gratifying to see how you can contribute and make a positive impact in the community, that is one of the most important reasons for us as Pharmaceutical Chemists. Public health is vitally important and what a wonderful thing it was to give this experience to this population in need. Finally, it was proven once again that being part of ACEQF is not worth it, it's worth living.

27

SUBSTANDARD QUALITY OF THE ANTIMICROBIALS SOLD IN THE STREETS MARKETS IN HAITI The World Health Organization estimates 1 in 10 medical products in lowand middle-income countries (LMIC) are substandard or counterfeit. Antibiotics and antimalarials are the most commonly counterfeit medicines.

This could have a significant impact on public health and antimicrobial resistance, which may lead to devastating economic consequences.

A pilot study analyzed the quality of antimicrobials sold in the street markets in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. A total of 196 packs of 11 antimicrobials were analyzed using a Raman handheld spectrometer, where spectral match determines the authenticity of the drugs. Five of 11 antimicrobials had good or sufficient spectral matches. For six antimicrobials (tetracycline, erythromycin, cloxacillin, azithromycin, clarithromycin and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid), all of their tablets/capsules showed insufficient spectral match.

In conclusion, there is a significant amount of counterfeit and substandard antimicrobials sold in street markets in Haiti. This study also showed that antimicrobials may be freely obtained without a prescription in street markets of Haiti.The low cost and time consumption gave rise to the popularity of medicine sales in street markets.

Additionally, this study method does not assess the quality of active ingredients nor does it determine the compounds in counterfeit medicines. Therefore, it is likely that degraded and/or mislabeled drugs are also sold in the street markets. All of these factors contribute to antimicrobial resistance.

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PARO Newsletter #8 | English version

What it's like to be a LEO in pandemic?

-- by

by Maria Maria Paz Paz Bustamante Bustamante LEO LEO Zona Zona Centro, Centro, ANEQyF ANEQyF Chile.

Chile.

Exchange during quarantine? Is it possible to carry out a program such as PMI in the middle of the pandemic?

After one year of the COVID-19 pandemic, Chile, through ANEQyF, the SEP program was inaugurated at the beginning of 2021, with a team made up of our SEO and 3 LEOs that has worked hard to promote this program throughout the national territory and carry out all the ideas created in these times as soon as the presence of activities can be resumed.

I accepted this responsibility while in my third year of college, unable to attend both theoretical and practical classes, nor knowing if I am learning what I should for my professional future, but leaving my fears aside, I decided to apply to the position I do today, LEO downtown area.

This experience has been totally enriching and rewarding, but I cannot overlook that it is a great responsibility to carry it out in the midst of a health crisis. I do not want to take this moment to talk about how much this situation has affected me, because I believe that we are all aware of the physical and psychological exhaustion, abrupt changes and aftermath that this pandemic is leaving us. Despite everything, I have managed to grow, accomplish and learn many things.

The opportunity to be part of this team has been a strong motivation to resume my English studies, keep me busy and organized, leave my creativity free to innovate in projects that capture the attention of the student, improve my university performance and resume communication with part of my university world that had been affected by the situation.It has allowed me to open doors that I did not think I could deploy so quickly, expanding my professional network not only in my environment, but, allowing me to meet future colleagues from other parts of the world, which makes me think about what it will be like when all the plans that we are preparing with the PMI team can be carried out in person, I cannot wait!

Among the first activities I did as LEO, it was to generate a comprehensive list of possible locations to offer in different practical fields for students who are interested in coming to our country. After this, we started working on our Instagram (@sepchile) generating advertising of our greatest riches and tourist attractions, in order to reach more people and gradually activate this program. Finally, we began to participate in the online PMI of which most countries with the active SEP program performed, both Spanish speakers and English speakers, where I had the responsibility to represent our country in presentations that were made in English.

We maintain close contact and regular meetings with our team to generate new ideas and promotional tactics, creating an extensive network of contacts for future practical fields, decreating online meetings for both students in our country and foreigners who are interested in coming to Chile to hold a future internship. We generate a calendar of activities and schedules for future posts on our Instagram. We will promptly offer an online PMI, among many other future plans we maintain.

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PARO Newsletter #8 | English version

Now I want to talk a little bit about what IPSF means to me and my future, what causes me to join? Well, the eye-catching idea of living an exchange always running through my head, more for increasing my professional network than in the future could open doors for me in the industry I plan to work in (cosmetics) but I think it's not just based on that, it's more, what you can learn from different cultures, thoughts and stories. Knowing and expanding my world is my greatest reason, growing and enriching myself with the knowledge of more experienced people that I make every day move for my dreams, improve and strive to achieve them.

IPSF is a huge network of contacts that connects us internationally at the same point in common, the pharmacy. Our career allows us to help people through science, innovation and support to health systems in a way that no other professional can do, instances like IPSF enrich us and improve our capabilities in a way that could not be possible through another means, making us future professionals with height of vision and more integral.

It is well known that for any student and future professional, his university career is not only based on qualifications, since it is of the utmost importance to generate a broad curriculum and this becomes more striking when he also stands out participatorily in his environment, knows how to function among his peers, has leadership, generates instances of interactive learning, takes important roles in his university life, and overall, that's been my college approach. Participating in both student centers, generating instances where my environment can enjoy moments that will remember your whole life, actively managing in online webinars, interesting me not only academically.

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PARO Newsletter #8 | English version

Christmas baskets of hope and happiness in times of pandemic.

-- APEFYB APEFYB PERU PERU Last Sunday, December 13, 2020, some members of the National Board of Directors of the Peruvian Association of Pharmacy and Biochemistry Students APEYFB, Peru in a joint and disinterested work with the entire Board of Directors carried out a voluntary activity in which Christmas baskets containing non-perishable foods were donated for people who have been affected by the current situation, the purchase and assembly of the Christmas baskets took place on Saturday, December 12, inside each Christmas basket we placed a printed message of encouragement for these difficult times of pandemic and Christmas, the intention of this act was that when people opened the basket they could read it and feel that they are not alone, we are all brothers and sisters. Thus, on the morning of December 13, we went out to distribute the Christmas baskets, we mobilized through the streets of downtown Lima in a private vehicle owned by a member of the association in order to go in search of people who work and sell on the streets. The president of the association was the one who delivered the first Christmas basket and he was very moved since the person who received it was an elderly man who sold needles in the street, the man was very grateful and happy for this activity , that is how all the baskets were delivered, to people who sold sweets on the street, people who begged for alms, we also met a disabled person who sold sweets, it was beautiful to be able to listen to people when they received their baskets and the many anecdotes that occurred on that day of the activity. Among what the Board of Directors remember most was that a passerby approached the vehicle in which we were going and told us: How good that young people like you carry out this type of social work for the ones who are most in need, and well, that is what is all about, helping the ones in need and even more so in these difficult times of pandemic.

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PARO Newsletter #8 | English version

Unifying APhA-ASP In Difficult Times -- APHA APHA ASP ASP USA USA The COVID-19 pandemic struck the United States very hard and every facet of our lives has been affected here, with pharmacy being no exception. APhA-ASP chapters around the country have spent hours planning, adapting, and carrying out events and social media campaigns tailored to the virtual age we are in.

Our anticipated annual pharmacy conferences were one of these projects that had to be adapted significantly, but though our Midyear Regional Meeting (MRM) was very different, it turned out to be a great success for all involved.

The purpose of our annual MRMs is to provide student pharmacists with the opportunity to connect with each other and participate in educational sessions, explore career opportunities, and discuss chapter activities which can then be incorporated into their own chapters’ initiatives. Usually this is done separately in the 8 different regions, but when the event was decided to be virtual, we decided to only have one big meeting with the goal of unifying student pharmacists in these trying times.

The planning of the conference fell upon 8 student officer volunteers who had been elected as their respective MRM Coordinators in 2019 as well as 7 other staff members. Planning included finding and booking speakers for programming, recruiting organizations to showcase at the Career Opportunities Exhibit, and the logistical aspects of Zoom to ensure the meeting ran smoothly.

MRM took place over the course of 5 nights. On the first 3 nights, attendees began their evening by participating in a networking event. Following the networking session, they participated in two different hour-long presentations over a wide variety of topics like virtual interviewing tips, creating a digital brand, and how to understand our implicit biases. We were also able to weave in some APhA-ASP leadership opportunities into optional sessions following the conclusion of the day’s programming. On days 4 and 5, attendees had the opportunity to virtually meet 32 residency programs, fellowships, start-ups, and much more. We presented 21 hours of content and reached 1900 student pharmacists over all 5 days.

The meeting was very successful overall. This is an annual event that students look forward to, and this year was no exception. There was a great response to the programming lineup and students felt they were able to establish genuine connections with others across the country despite the virtual setting. Attendees were highly engaged and asked many insightful questions. The logistics of the event being on Zoom were no issue and transitions between sessions were effective, though the exhibition had a few hiccups due to the variety of presentations that programs and companies provided. Overall, we are very happy with how this event went and how we were able to connect pharmacy students across the country. While we hope our MRMs will be in person again this fall, we know how exciting a virtual MRM can be and we will be ready to put on another great conference for students again whether it be virtual or in person!

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PARO Newsletter #8 | English version

Canada’s Pandemic Pharmacy Appreciation Month -- by

by Melody Melody Suon Suon CP CP of of CAPSI, CAPSI, Canada Canada COVID-19 has greatly changed how the Canadian Association of Pharmacy Students and Interns (CAPSI) connects with pharmacy students across Canada. The shift from seeing smiling faces to screen fatigued faces on Zoom has been rather eerie. However, CAPSI representatives were not going to let that put a damper on the Pharmacy Appreciation Month (PAM) festivities.

Every year, the month of March is a busy month across all 10 pharmacy schools in Canada. PAM is typically a month filled with activities such as: lunch and learns, interdisciplinary panels, and general networking opportunities for students. PAM is a month where students celebrate our profession, and educate the public on what pharmacists can do for them.

With the pandemic, all Canadian schools were forced to move to online means for the whole year. This meant that CAPSI representatives had to work hard to create a PAM experience that would engage students and the public - but in a safe virtual setting. A dreary task nonetheless.

Now that we are 2 weeks into PAM, it would be an understatement to say that CAPSI has knocked it out of the park. Despite the online setting, CAPSI representatives have been able to brainstorm a variety of different events to keep the upbeat pace of PAM that one would normally feel from previous years.

Events range from activities such as online interdisciplinary panels, virtual group yoga sessions, and virtual trivia nights!

The turnout of CAPSI’s virtual PAM was challenging, but it taught us some valuable lessons. While living through the COVID-19 pandemic is not easy, it has taught us how to think outside of our comfort zones.

With passion for our profession comes a sense of community within our peers - and with this we are unstoppable.

I hope that you are all staying safe, and are staying connected to your peers.

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PARO Newsletter #8 | English version

SYMPOSIUM: PHARMACIST CHALLENGES IN PRIMARY CARE

Conquered by the Brazilian people, guaranteed by the Federal Constitution of 1988, and contemplated Feb. de 2020 | Vol. 8

by Art. 196 with the words: "Health is the right of all and the duty of the State". The Unified Health System, SUS, is responsible for ensuring access to health for all Brazilian citizens.

The basic principle of SUS is characterized by its universalization, which isequivalent to the responsibility of the state to guarantee its access; Equality with the main objective to address inequality and invest where necessary; and Equity that covers care based on the individual's needs. Within this context, the pharmacist is focused on society, taking responsibility for the well-being of the patient with the initiative of promoting the rational use of medicines, in addition to the prevention, assistance, and surveillance of diseases.

In October 2020, the Brazilian Federation of Pharmacy Students (FEBRAF) held a symposium with the theme: "Pharmacist challenges in primary care: Access to health for marginalized and neglected populations". Aiming at the interest of students and health professionals, the event aimed at new knowledge networks, since critical awareness and the stimulation of the visibility of the real needs found in the health system are extremely important. Thus, understanding the notoriety of primary care and the challenges of the active pharmacist, the symposium had several themes, some of which were: “Rational use of medicines”; "Health care for the peripheral population"; “Basic care for the indigenous population”; "Access to the Brazilian health system by foreigners" and "Devoid of freedom: health in prison". With such diverse themes, the symposium had the help of specialists to elucidate its knowledge.

In the current social context, technological advances increasingly contribute to the education process in general, being positively affected by access to information and its wide use. Free of charge to the public, the symposium took place remotely since we are in the COVID-19 pandemic season, making it necessary to take advantage of this connection to benefit the teaching and the improvement of new knowledge. In addition to arousing curiosity, we understand that technology attracts people's interest in new forms of learning and communication, with the desire for interaction between professionals, students, and even the general public, each lecture provided a moment of questions, making participants involved in their knowledge acquisition process.

Finally, the training of health professionals is not only applied directly to them but also to society. The training of competent officials has shown improvements in the quality of care, thus helping with superior care, and to demonstrate this care, the symposium aimed at a deeper understanding of the assimilated already acquired and the chance to gain new knowledge.

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PARO Newsletter #8 | English version

IV SINAEF: VIRTUALITY WAS NOT A BARRIER

INTRODUCTION

Feb. de 2020 | Vol. 8

Logistics: Diana Calderón, Pablo Hidalgo,

One of the most relevant and anticipated

Priscilla Malavassi, Karissa Quirós, Jimena

events of the year held by the Costa Rican

Campos, Jessica Rodríguez, Nicole Bueno,

Federation of Pharmacy students is the National

Daniela Rodríguez, Karla Alvarado, Paz Salas,

Symposium of Pharmacy Students, which brings

Sara Sánchez and Valeria Carrillo.

together students from all the universities that teach the Bachelor's Degree in Pharmacy of the

Sponsorship: Liliana Torres, Fabricio Montes,

country and also professionals in Pharmacy or

Gloriana

related careers.

Roldán and Lilliam Camacho.

González,

David

Arias,

Mariana

The SINAEF was characterized by a space full

Advertising: Ariana Quirós, Jeniffer Sandí,

of learning, but in addition to this, it allowed to

Cristy Villalobos, Adrián Mora and Mauricio

bring all the students closer together and generate

Miranda.

new ties and projects, apart from generating a greater sense of belonging to the Federation as

Social

Activities:

Killian

Zúñiga,

such.

Quirós and Alison Martínez.

Alonso

Unlike in previous years, the situation of the

One of the great advantages that the

Covid-19 pandemic generated a drastic change at

virtualization of the Symposium brought is that

the same time a challenge for the organization of

this has been the SINAEF that has had the most

the Symposium, to carry it out for the first time

participants, since there were a total of 280

under a 100% virtual modality. Along with

registered

virtuality they came difficulties but on the other

number than the previous Symposiums since by

hand many advantages and facilities but mainly

themes of space in the facility could never have

the opportunity to innovate and be creative in

such a large number of attendees. One of the ways

solutions.

to innovate at this event was to devise a welcome

people,

which

is

a

much

higher

kit, which required hard work from the logistics DEVELOPING

commission to reach all corners of the country.

Another novelty that this edition of SINAEF

For all the logistics of this event to be

presented was that a mascot was had for the first

successful, it was necessary to recruit a fairly large

time:

“Galydonna”,

organizing committee and each member with the

Jeniffer Sandí.

which

was

designed

by

ideal qualities to perform each assigned task -The event was organized thanks to the hard work of 32 people, divided into 5 committees:

The main theme of this Symposium was "The Pharmacy of the Future", which is why the academic

committee

undertook

the

task

of

• Academic: Álvaro Alfaro, Valeria Jiménez,

inviting a series of professionals of the highest

Karla Coto, Fernanda Rojas, Belén Arroyo and

quality, who gave talks that were very useful and

Irene Vindas.

that allowed the learning outside the classroom.

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PARO Newsletter #8 | English version

They also organized the In-vestigation Presentation Event (IPE), Compounding Event (CE), Clinical Skills Event (CSE), and Patient Counseling Event (PCE) competitions, adapted to a virtual modality. The fun was not lacking as two social activities were organized: a “Movie Night”: where the film Soul was screened, and the “SINAFEST”: an event that featured a Stand-Up Comedy by Waleska Oporta, the music of DJ Fung, as well as various dynamics and the awarding of the winners of the competitions.

CONCLUSION

Feb. de 2020 | Vol. 8

At the end of the day, it was possible to get the positive out of the change generated by the pandemic and a massive event was successfully adapted. SINAEF is and will continue to be a space for the exchange of knowledge and also a way to create new personal and work relationships. We hope that it will continue to be carried out over the years despite the challenges, such as virtuality in this case.

IPSA SPELLING BEE ARTICLE

This year the international Pharmacy Students Association hosted a unique event. To finish off the semester t

hey had their first annual medication spelling bee. Contestants were to say the medication

name, spell it and say it again. If the medication was spelled correctly they proceeded to the next round, if the spelling was incorrectly the contestant was eliminated. The medications were separated into tiers that changed each round increasing in difficulty along the way. The medications that were divided into tiers were randomized by drawing them out of a hat to avoid bias. The grand prize for the winner of the event was a 100-dollar gift card, along with a gold medal.

This event was mainly to give our students that were watching something fun to do after a long week of studying, and to give our participants a friendly challenge. To kick off the event we had a very exciting opening song playing in the background while our host introduced all the components with witty personal details and a little bit of their history. During the event, we had one of our members go around interviewing participants as well as spectators.

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PARO Newsletter #8 | English version

This allowed us to learn more about our classmates. It was meant to be as close to the gameshow as possible with the addition of our pharmacy theme. We did face several challenges when making this event. One of the main fears when making this event was the turnout. During the pandemic, events have had many obstacles.

Feb. de 2020 | Vol. 8

Our main goal was to have a good turnout, but we also wanted to keep everyone safe. In order to maintain social distancing among our members, we offered attendance in person with a mask and ensured seats were spread out. We also offered spectators the ability to join use via zoom, this limited the number of people that came in person, which allowed us to have ample space in the auditorium we had.

Adding zoom spectating to this event also allowed people that were not on campus to join which increased turnout as well.

Altogether the event was a success. All of our members and faculty enjoyed the event and we are proud and excited to bring this event back next year.

PHARMACIST DAY – ONLINE VERSION

In Pharmaceutical Chemistry Student Organization, OEQF in Spanish, it is a tradition to have a special celebration for Pharmaceutical Day every year. This year the Board of Directors decided to continue to have this tradition despite the situation that has affected the entire world. With the pandemic being at its peak in Guatemala, the decision to have the Pharmacist day celebration online was not a hard one to take.

The overall activity was built around teamwork, asking the participants to assemble groups of 5-10 people, with a Q.10.00 (approximately US$.1.3) fee per person. A special banner with the name of each group was created for use and representation throughout the competition. On the morning of Saturday, September 26 th , we gathered all the groups in a zoom meeting to introduce the activity of the day. In the early hours the groups split up to go through a series of different meetings, each one run by a different member of the Board of Directors. Each group did a trivia game, an exercise race, a karaoke party, and a Pictionary competition, earning points with each activity.

Finally, at 6:00 pm the Talent Show began, in which each group could showcase the talent of their members, and friends for a small bonus of points. At the end of the day, the total points were gathered on a Drive sheet. After being reviewed by the Board of Directors and all contestants, the results were posted on the OEQF social media the day after the competition. For first place, the group got a gift certificate for a .

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PARO Newsletter #8 | English version

fast-food restaurant. We got a total of 13 groups signed up for the activity, and we had 17 people during the Talent show, as well as another 60+ viewers at both a zoom meeting and a live stream on the OEQF Facebook Page.

Feb. de 2020 | Vol. 8

A video was also made with photographs of Pharmaceutical Chemistry Students from the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala (USAC) and the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala (UVG). The theme of the video was Pharmacy students’ life, and it was published on September 25 th on the social media pages from both OEQF (from USAC) and AEQF (from UVG).

This has been the most successful activity that OEQF has had on last year, regarding all the activities made on site pre-pandemic and on the online perspective, and we hope to maintain this expectation for the next celebrations.

IMPORTANCE OF AN INTERDISCIPLINARY COLLABORATION FOR THE PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF EMERGING ZOONOTIC DISEASES

In recent decades, humanity has had to face different kinds of challenges, social, economic and phenomena derived from climate change, such as Emerging Zoonotic Diseases (EZD). Zoonosis is defined as any infectious disease that animals and humans can transmit to each other. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines emerging zoonoses as those that have been recently recognized or of recent evolution, or that have occurred previously but show an increase in incidence, expansion of the geographic range, host or vectors (1). This text will address the threats that EZDs represent to social welfare, economy, and ecological balance. In the same way, an idea to address this problem and the challenges that this represents will be shared.

When it comes to nature, infectious diseases represent a threat to ecosystems since they are important biotic forces that can precipitate the decline in the population of wild species, which could impact the balance of ecological dynamics and lead to the loss of biodiversity (2). Regarding the impacts of EZD on public health, they cause millions of human deaths a year, the figures are alarming especially in developing

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PARO Newsletter #8 | English version

countries. It has been shown in different epidemics that health systems become saturated, there is also a shortage of drugs, and access to health becomes complicated. Hospital costs for the direct care of people for zoonoses are estimated at hundreds of millions of dollars a year in the United States (3).

Because EZDs are unknown, there is no specific management plan to prevent their occurrence. The possibility of an outbreak is always present in production systems of animals intended for human consumption. The impacts of the EZDs in this sector are of utmost importance, since it represents one of Feb. de 2020 | Vol. 8

the main economic activities and food sources worldwide.

The possibility of EZD manifestation requires investment by governments, since they demand the allocation of funds for research on new diseases, experimentation with treatments, epidemiological studies, generation or acquisition of vaccines in the case of viral diseases, generation and implementation of control and prevention protocols, etc. The problem of EZD should be addressed under One Health approach, defined by the WHO as an “approach conceived to design and implement programs, policies, laws and research in which multiple sectors communicate and collaborate to achieve better public health outcomes ”(4). Currently there are documents that include guidelines on how to prevent and control EZD, ensure animal welfare and environmentally friendly production. These documents are developed by experts from leading One Health intergovernmental institutions globally and are published so that different governments can base on them to develop their own public policies. Examples of these documents are ‘‘A Tripartite Guide to Addressing Zoonotic Diseases in Countries’’ by the FAO, OIE and WHO; and ‘‘The International Standards of the OIE’’. Another document that already addresses zoonotic diseases is the ‘‘Sustainable Development Goals’’ by the United Nations.

All of the above raises questions about whether: are the recommendations established in this type of document actually used by different countries to draft their own public policies? And, if they really do, are these policies actually followed properly?.

Developing, implementing and maintaining a national strategy to prevent and control EZD based on the principles of One Health represents a

great

challenge,

which

includes:

national

awareness

within

the

creating

medical

and

veterinary professions, the scientific community, government institutions, decision makers and civil society on the power of the One Health approach to improve the health of people, animals

and

the

environment.

From

my

perspective, there are still social sectors that are simply not interested in adopting solidarity actions

and

environmental

refuse

to

problems

address that

the the

sociocurrent

situation demands.

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PARO Newsletter #8 | English version

An interdisciplinary collaboration in which the government, the scientific community, the private sector and society participate is decisive to face the emergence and control of emerging diseases. Ensuring the maintenance of social and environmental well-being, and the development of the economy requires a great common effort and taking immediate actions to prevent the appearance of new EZD and its impacts, otherwise, the problems that we will have to face in future years will be even more difficult to solve than those we face today.

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References 1. World Health Organization. (2004). Emerging zoonoses. Available at: https://www.who.int/zoonoses/eme rging_ zoonoses/en/ 2. Goberville, E., Hautekèete, N., Kirby, R., Piquot, Y., Luczak, C. and Beaugrand, G. (2016). Climate change and the ash dieback crisis. Scientific Reports, 6, 35303, 1-9.

3. Vargas-García, R. Emerging and reemerging zoonoses and their potential risks in Mexico. Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health. FMVZ / UNAM. Ciudad Universitaria, DF, Mexico, 1-13.

4. World Health Organization. (2017). WHO's multisectoral approach One Health. Available at: https://www.who.int/features/qa/on e-health/es/

ENJOY YOUR LEADERSHIP AND DISCOVER IVPN After having been involved in IPSF for more than six wonderful years, a new international educational opportunity knocked on my door by the name of IVPN. IVPN is an organization dedicated since its inception in 2012 to transmitting information regarding parenteral nutrition. From there its name: "Intravenous (IV) and Parenteral Nutrition (PN)". Over time, due to the interest of pharmaceutical colleagues around the world, it broadened its horizons and today covers all aspects of pharmaceutical practice through a culture of exchange of practices and knowledge.

When I found out about it, I did not hesitate for a minute to contacting the organization to bring this tool to Argentina and then from my country, launch it to Latin America, so that pharmacists and pharmacy students from this part of the world could know about it, educate themselves and be part of this professional network.

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PARO Newsletter #8 | English version

Thus, I was appointed ambassador of IVPN

Currently we have the following: personalized

in Argentina, with the purpose of expanding this

medicine, oncology, clinical research, regulatory

network of opportunities in our region with the

matters,

philosophy of finding talent, empowering them

pharmacoeconomics,

and making them visible. To achieve this, we

podcast and IVPN-mentor.

pharmacovigilance,

neuropsychiatry,

students,

journal

club,

launched the project "IVPN-AR en Español" since all the learning tools up to that point were in

In order to expand and bring information to

English. This led to access to them in this

everyone on our continent, we have formalized

Spanish-speaking

equitable.

our link with IPSF-PARO, with the aim of mutual

This project aims to offer a Spanish chapter of the

collaboration. We appreciate this space to tell you

activities carried out in English. They have

who we are, what we do, and invite you to join our

monthly

projects either as assistants or as potential IVPN

Feb. de 2020 | Vol. 8

region

webinars

called

becoming

"IVPN-AR",

which

address topics fundamental to the professional

ambassadors in your country.

development of the pharmacist.

For more information you can contact us We also have our "listserv", which are groups

through our website www.ivpn-network.com or

created on the platform Google Groups that allow

by

e-mail

to

English

representatives

members to follow topics, ask questions, share

otabbara@ivpn-network.com

resources and news with the aim of exchanging

jschlottke@ivpn-network.com. All your ideas and

experiences and consulting experts on the topics

queries will be well received.

or

in

Spanish

related to each listserv. You can interact with colleagues from other parts of the world who

Viva le pharmacie!

share interest with you. "Articles of the week" and

We're waiting for you!

calls to participate in research projects are received.

APEFYB SEP IN TIMES OF PANDEMIC

The times have changed, and APEFyB, PERÚ have to adapt to it. One of our principal activities that were hit by the pandemic is our Student Exchange Programme and we had to create new things to maintain the SEP spirit alive. APEFyB has been working a lot in our SEP, and we the help of all the team of our 11 subsidiaries we could make an incredible Virtual SEP. First, we made a cultural session where we had a lot of audiences. We did not expect to have more than one hundred participants for our first session. It was important to choose the correct platform, that is why we did it on google meet. We had to take in mind the time zone, so we decided to make two sessions, one in English and the other in Spanish, for the first one we did at 13:00 GMT +0 and for the other 23:00 GTM+0. We present our typical foods, celebrations, some interesting facts about Perú, and also the places where a student can do their SEP. The part that was more impressive for many of them was that we use a Google Earth presentation, this application was like going to that exact place by traveling virtually. Also, we taught some phrases and words in Spanish and Quechua and all the participants liked it a lot.

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PARO Newsletter #8 | English version

In the next days, because the participants wanted to know more about the places to do SEP. We contact the people in charge of the laboratories, hospitals, and universities. We had 2 days where we talked about the places that we offer in our SEP, Research in Universities, Hospital Pharmacy, and Community Pharmacy. And on the last day, we invited the team SEP from IPSF and some SEOs around the world to talk about the SEP to our students.

Moreover, for our social time, we made a virtual party, which was very awesome. We did it by Facebook Feb. de 2020 | Vol. 8

and the students around the world could interact with us in the comments and also sending some audios to our Dj Diego Alonso to put them on live. We made some dynamics, some questions like: How are you studying in this pandemic? Many students sent their audios and sent some public greetings. The thematic that we made with the Dj was like being in a drug store and our association's logo. It was an incredible experience to share with all students.

Finally, we want to motivate all the SEOs to do a Virtual SEP too. Despite this pandemic, there are many ways to promote our SEP and to stay tuned with the students who are interesting in taking SEP with your country. We are grateful to all the students and all the people who help us in our Virtual SEP, we will do another soon.

THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF THE PLASTIC ERA

Every day we are surrounded by products made of plastic: beverage bottles, plastic bags, toothbrushes, cosmetics, fabrics, food packaging. And the worst: we have insufficient information about how these plastics can interact with the human organism.

Microplastics (MP’s) are plastic particles decomposed to sizes of about 5 mm or even less. Due to their small size, they can easily interact with different organisms and disperse in air and water. The MPs most commonly found are polyethylene terephthalate (PET), followed by polyethylene (PE), polystyrene (PS), and polypropylene (PP), and are usually in the form of a fiber or fragment.

One of the biggest concerns related to this subject is the capacity that persistent organic pollutants (POP's), such as organochlorines, bisphenol A and toxic metals, have to adsorb on the surface of these microplastics since it is known that these components are capable of generating changes in hormonal and neurological levels. Until now, just a few in vitro and in vivo studies have been carried out to verify interactions of MP's with human physiological and biochemical functions.

Knowing about the most common routes of contamination, such as food, the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) have already started to present notifications of the presence of MP’s in food products. Among them, but not only, are foods such as honey, milk, beer, meats stored in trays, teas, salt (from various regions of the world), and seafood, the most contaminated 1,2,3,4,5,6 . There is also a World Health Organization’s (WHO) report on “Microplastic in drinking water” that indicatesthat there is necessary more research about the topic 7 .

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As it is an issue with growing debate, the results are finally being achieved: Italian researchers first detected the presence of microplastics in 4 of the 6 analyzed placentas, totaling 12 microplastics. They also theorized the entry of this substance into the human body through food and breathing, with the action of M cells, paracellular diffusion, macrophages, and ciliated epithelium, being carried into the blood by dendritic cells 8.

Feb. de 2020 | Vol. 8

Previous research, carried out by Schwabl and collaborators, analyzed the presence of microplastics as a result of digestion, finding all samples (n = 8) containing about 20 microplastics in 10g of feces, such as polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET ) 9.

The consequences of chronic and acute MP’s exposure in the mammalian system are still very unclear.

And there is more: these MP’s can be decomposed into nano sizes (nanoplastics), potentially entering the circulation system and interacting with albumin and other blood proteins, probably modifying drug distribution.

After all this information you might be wondering: what can we, as pharmacists and future pharmacists, do about it? One of the best ways to act quickly is to encourage the correct disposal of medicines and packaging at collection points and even the usage of bioplastics is an alternative. But more: we can explore this field as researchers, clarifying potential interactions that these MP’s and NP’s have with physiological parameters and medications.

References [1]. Liebezeit, G., & Liebezeit, E. Non-pollen particulates in honey and sugar. Food Addit Contam Part A, 2013, 30(12), 2136–2140. doi:10.1080/19440049.2013.843025 [2]. Lusher, A. L., McHugh, M., & Thompson, R. C. Occurrence of microplastics in the gastrointestinal tract of pelagic and demersal fish from the English Channel. Mar Pollut Bull. 2013, 67(1-2), 94–99.

[3]. Lachenmeier, D.W., Kocareva, J., Noack, D., Kuballa, T. Microplastic identification in German beer-an artefact of laboratory contamination? Deutsche Lebensmittel-Rundschau. 2015, 111 (10), pp. 437-440.

[4]. Hernandez, L.M., Xu, E.G., Larsson, H.C.E., Tahara, R., Maisuria, V.B., Tufenkji, N. Plastic teabags release billions of microparticles and nanoparticles into tea. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2019, 53(21), 12300-12310.

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[5]. Huang, Y., Chapman, J., Deng, Y., & Cozzolino, D. Rapid measurement of microplastic contamination in chicken meat by mid infrared spectroscopy and chemometrics: A feasibility study. Food Control. 2019, 107187. doi:10.1016/j.foodcont.2020.107187 [6]. Kutralam-Muniasamy, G., Pérez-Guevara, F., Elizalde-Martínez, I., & Shruti, V. C. Branded milks – Are they

immune

from

microplastics

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.136823

contamination?

Sci

Total

Environ.

2020,

136823.

Feb. de 2020 | Vol. 8

[7]. World Health Organization. Microplastics in Drinking‐Water; 2019. Accessed on 26 Feb 2021. Available online: https://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/publications/microplastics‐in‐drinkig‐water/en/ [8]. Ragusa A et al.; Plasticenta: First evidence of microplastics in human placenta. Environ Int. 2021, 146:106274. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.

[9]. Schwabl, Philipp et al.; Detection of Various Microplastics in Human Stool: A Prospective Case Series.

Ann of Intern Med. 2019, 171. doi: 10.7326/M19-0618.

PANDEMIC REFLECTION: ASSOCIATION OF MENTAL HEALTH WITH INFECTION BY SARS-COV-2

The world is currently facing the pandemic COVID-19

with

a

coronavirus,

SARS-CoV-2,

causing strong physical and psychological pressure in the medical and multi-professional staff.

The pandemic had several impacts on the mental health of the population, contributing to the

emotional

imbalance,

insecurity,

and

conditions for the anxiety disorder due to the concerns witnessed (RUBIN and WESSELY, 2020).

The fear of becoming newly infected has led to psychological trauma, as well as the spread of the media, intensifying hopeless news about the number

of

deaths,

unavailable

beds,

and

overcrowding in hospitals. (RUBIN and WESSELY, 2020). Psychological and physical vulnerability indicators have shown that anxiety persists in the post-confinement period, such as posttraumatic stress conditions.

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PARO Newsletter #8 | English version

The purpose of this article is to analyze the global impact of the pandemic on the mental system health of health professionals and the general population. A literature review was carried out on the mental health of health professionals and the global population, affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

The databases Pubmed, Medline, Latin American Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences (LILACS), and SCIELO were used, and the descriptors contemplated in Health Sciences (DeCs) were used for the search: “COVID 19, Mental health, pandemic, health Feb . d e 2 professionals”.

020 | Vol. 8 Articles published between 2019 and 2020 were selected. In one analyzed clinical case, the patient had sequela 28 days after onset of the disease, the patient demonstrated the presence of the virus in the brain, in addition to neuronal necrosis and edema. Despite the studies addressed on its action in the CNS, the manifestations can occur in isolated cases in SARS-CoV patients (RAONY et al. 2020).

According to TORALES and VENTRIGLIO (2020), the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder was analyzed in a study in which, of the 714 patients who had COVID-19, about 96.2% had this condition. In a study of about 144 patients who also had COVID-19, about 34.72% and 28.47% demonstrated symptoms of anxiety and depression. Some of the existing factors for increasing the risk of developing such conditions are being female, low socioeconomic status, interpersonal conflicts, lower resilience, and social support, among others. (TORALES and VENTRIGLIO, 2020).

Global mental health measures should be employed to address psychosocial stressors, fear, and vulnerability. An immediate response should include a focus on the impact on the mental health of patients and healthcare professionals in general.

The impact of the COVID-19 is likely to be printed on everyone involved. There are, however, opportunities to make a difference to the team's mental health support and to identify and encourage opportunities to find growth and meaning in this situation. There is a need for a more refined look also for health professionals, who in the frontline risk their exposure daily and also for those of administrative and technical support, who exercise their work in a similar environment and are also at risk. An accurate assessment of mental health conditions recommends a deterioration in the quality of life, consequently of the visits.

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PARO Newsletter #8 | English version

FARMAGAMERS: INCLUSION OF GAMES IN THE TEACHING OF PHARMACY CLASSES Feb. de 2020 | Vol. 8

The emergence of internet and the development of sophisticated software opened up a large field for the application of games in students’ academic life. This new way of learning opposes the current teachinglearning model and can be an interesting tool in future educational methods. The application of game elements in non-game activities is called “gamification”. It focuses on the emotional, affective, motor and cognitive aspects of the human brain, which can in turn improve cooperation, logical reasoning, creativity and critical thinking. Researchers have studied the relationship between games and education, and have raised some advantages: better understanding and fixation of learned concepts; development of problem solving and decision making strategies; improved critical thinking and knowledge building skills; enhanced ability to relate different disciplines; and increased social skills in team works.

Although less prevalently used compared to European countries, the Ministry of Education in Brazil started to encourage the application of games in education. Some scholarship winning students from the department of Pharmacy-Biochemistry of University of São Paulo Pharmaceutical Sciences formed a group called “farmagamers” and conducted a research under the supervision of Dr. Cristina Northfleet de Albuquerque. The objective of their project is to use games in the teaching of university level courses. Each project followed four steps from its conception to its completion and application in the classroom. First, a bibliographic review was done to study the already existing approaches and methodologies of gamification.

Second, game elements best suited to the learning objectives were created and tested. Third, the attractiveness and the ability of the game to engage students were evaluated based on studies that calculate the balance between educational and recreational elements. Finally, the game was taken into application in a classroom.

Farmagamers completed several projects where they created games applicable to the teaching of Biosafety class and of Pharmacy History class. The applicability of including games in pharmacy courses is observed. Not only it improved student learning, it was well received due to its recreational content.

Therefore, gamification can indeed increase content absorption and student motivation. Farmagamers intend to continue their existing projects, to expand to more disciplines, to invite new members and to build new projects. As a final word, these projects fully demonstrated that the current teaching methodology in universities is outdated and the importance of student-teacher cooperation in the research and creation of new teaching methods.

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PARO Newsletter #8 | English version

TRAVELING THROUGH THE WORLD BY ZOOM: A REVIEW OF ONLINE SEP Feb. de 2020 | Vol. 8

The COVID-19 pandemic interrupted countless projects and opportunities in multiple contexts, this paralysis occurred to reduce the transmission rates and deaths by the virus. However, this scenario promoted the emergence of new methods to maintain current activities, and the Student Exchange Program (SEP) is included on this trend.

Despite the borders being closed, the program continued evolving, since countries such as Indonesia, Japan, and Peru held live events with future exchange students aiming to expand their respective cultures and maintain their influence.

One of the activities common to all these events was the game “Kahoot!”, which consists of a quiz developed by the local SEP Team where all participants can engage simultaneously and answer questions, with a mix of fun, competitiveness, and learning. Also, in the online meeting platform, splitting the participants in groups and creating multiple conversation circles created a greater interaction between everyone connected.

Even though there was a language barrier, the willingness of the local SEP Team to solve problems and resolve all doubts was incredible. Furthermore, this obstacle did not restrict the fluidity of the conversation groups and discussion of interesting topics. Besides, the activities held before the discussion made participants more relaxed.

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted the development of alternative ways to maintain current projects.

Aside that, the experience acquired during this period does not need to be restricted to alarming situations such as a pandemic. These events may occur even after these difficult times, with the same purpose, promote SEP.

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PARO Newsletter #8 | English version

MIXER TORQUE RHEOMETER AS AN APPLICATION TOOL OF QUALITY BY DESIGN (QBD) IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF PHARMACEUTICAL GRANULES Feb. de 2020 | Vol. 8

It is widely known that the development of solid pharmaceutical forms is a very challenging process for the pharmaceutical industries, which face obstacles in the development of effective solutions to problems that affect the quality of their formulations. In the case of solid dosage forms, constituted mainly of powders, the major setbacks are related to the management of the drug, which generally presents low density, deficient flow properties and insufficient degrees of compaction, making it necessary to submit the materials in question to some type of processing.

Usually, the process chosen is granulation, which consists of the agglomeration of small powders particles resulting in new particles of larger size, greater strength, and varied porosity, allowing the material compression and formulation of complex products, such as granules, extruded and pellets (SURESH et al., 2017). This process can be carried out both dry and wet ways. When the wet way is chosen, there is the addition of a binder solution, promoting the formation of agglomerates with adequate strength, due to the combination of viscosity and capillarity forces, ensuring that the components of the mixture will not separate after drying process (ENNIS, 2016). However, in this process it is essential to determine the granulation endpoint, that is, to establish the most appropriate amount of binder to be added, which requires a lot of knowledge and experience on the part of the formulator.

One of the most traditional ways of reaching the granulation endpoint is by the hand squeeze test, however, it as an empirical parameter and can suffer inter-individual variations, besides to requiring large amounts of raw material (HANCOCK; YORK; ROWE, 1994; SAKR et al., 2012; ZHANG; LAMBERTO, 2014).

As an alternative, the literature demonstrates the development of several techniques based on the powder rheology, which make the process more rational and scientific, such as the measurement of wet mass torque through the Mixer Torque Rheometer (MTR), by which an average torque intensity curve is obtained as a function of the amount of binder added, configuring the rheological profile of the sample.

This profile includes the pendular, funicular, capillary, and droplet steps, corresponding to the degree of particle agglomeration (Figure 2), allowing, therefore, the determination of the amount of liquid necessary for the granulation of the material in a precise way (HANCOCK; YORK; ROWE, 1994; SAKR et al., 2012;

Figure 1. Mixer ZHANG; LAMBERTO, 2014).

Torque Rheometer (MTR-3, Caleva, Reino Unido)

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PARO Newsletter #8 | English version

This equipment works with small amounts of raw material (15 to 20 grams), which are allocated in a mixing compartment. Two rotating blades, coupled to a signal transducer, will homogenize the sample. So that it will be possible to obtain a torque value, measured and calculated by the CalevaMTR ® software, through one of three different analytical methods: Consistency (used to check properties of powders produced in large-scale granulation systems and can be used as a quality control tool), Variable Mixed Time (provides an indication of the torque response in relation to the binder ratio and mixing time) and Multiple Addition (used to study the best granulation condition and determine its endpoint). In addition, the Feb. de 2020 | Vol. 8

Multiple Addition method, in combination with statistical planning for the formulation of pharmaceutical granulates, allows the optimization of the multiparticulate formulations development, making it possible to choose the best proportions of active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) and excipients for the composition of the formulation. Thus, the formulator acquires full knowledge of the formulation and its processing parameters, guaranteeing the quality of the product from the first stages of development, as provided by Quality by Design (QbD) (MISHRA; ROHERA, 2016).

Figure 2. Intensity curve of the average torque as a function of the liquid / solid ratio.

As a practical example, there is caffeine, an API that has poor flow, poor compressibility index and can be used in high doses as an energy supplement. In this context, the production of caffeine-containing tablets is conditioned to its granulation.

In order to choose the best formulation containing caffeine and determine its endpoint, a 3 3-1 fractional factorial design, resulting in 9 formulations, was planned and evaluated on the MTR under the following conditions: 60-second mix time, blade rotation at 50 rpm and log time of 20 seconds. After evaluating the results of the 9 formulations, the one with the highest maximum torque value was chosen, consisting of 30% caffeine, 1% carrageenan and Avicel ® 101 in sufficient quantity to complete 15 grams of sample.

Then, through the rheological profile of this formulation (Figure 3), it was possible to determine the granulation endpoint of. It is important to emphasize that, as presented by Belem and Ferraz (2020), the ideal final stage still a contradictory topic among several authors. Some defend the choice of a point between the pendular and funicular stages, others defend a point between the funicular and capillary and, finally, there are those who follow the line that the capillary stage can be considered a good approximation of the granulation endpoint. In the present study, we opted to follow this last research line, so that the capillary stage (maximum torque) was adopted as the granulation endpoint. According to Figure 3, the liquid / solid ratio required to achieve the highest torque value is 0.8 mL / g. So to produce 200 grams of this granulate, is necessary to add 160 mL of the binder liquid to the solid mixture, thus defining the granulation endpoint.

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PARO Newsletter #8 | English version

Figure 3. Intensity curve of the average torque as a function of the amount of binder added to a mixture of 15 grams containing caffeine (30%), carrageenan (1%) and Avicel® 101 (q.s.p)

Feb. de 2020 | Vol. 8

The work in question was carried out at the Pharmaceutical Development and Innovation Laboratory of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences of the University of São Paulo (Deinfar FCF / USP), under the coordination of Prof. Dr. Humberto Gomes Ferraz. Deinfar was the first laboratory in Brazil to invest in an wet powder rheometer and, since its acquisition, several development projects for formulations of solid pharmaceutical dosage have been carried out employing several active ingredients. In addition, the laboratory has presented the technique and its benefits in different courses and academic works, fulfilling its role in the spread of knowledge and innovation in the Brazilian pharmaceutical industry.

References BELEM, B. R.; FERRAZ, H. G.. Rheological profile in mixer torque rheometer of samples containing furazolidone and different binders. Chemical Engineering Research And Design, [S.L.], v. 160, p. 533-539, ago. 2020. Elsevier BV. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cherd.2020.06.022.

ENNIS, B. . Theory of granulation: a engineering perspective. In: PARIKH, D. M. (Ed.). Handbook of pharmaceutical granulation technology. 3. ed. CRC Press, 2016. p.676.

HANCOCK, B. C.; YORK, P.; ROWE, R. C. An assessment of substrate-binder interactions in model wet masses. 1: Mixer torque rheometry. International Journal of Pharmaceutics, v. 102, n. 1–3, p. 167–176, 1994.

MISHRA, Saurabh M.; ROHERA, Bhagwan D.. An integrated, quality by design (QbD) approach for design, development

and

optimization

of

orally

disintegrating

tablet

formulation

of

carbamazepine.

Pharmaceutical Development And Technology, [S.L.], v. 22, n. 7, p. 889-903, 27 jun. 2016. Informa UK Limited. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10837450.2016.1199566.

SAKR, W. F.; IBRAHIM, M. A.; ALANAZI, F. K.; SAKR, A. A. Upgrading wet granulation monitoring from hand squeeze test to mixing torque rheometry. Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal, v. 20, n. 1, p. 9–19, 2012.

SURESH, P.; SREEDHAR, I.; VAIDHISWARAN, R.; VENUGOPAL, A. A comprehensive review on process and engineering aspects of pharmaceutical wet granulation. Chemical Engineering Journal, v. 328, p. 785– 815, 2017.

ZHANG, S.; LAMBERTO, D. J. Development of new laboratory tools for assessment of granulation behavior during bulk active pharmaceutical ingredient drying. Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, v. 103, n. 1, p. 152–160, 2014.

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PARO Newsletter #8 | English version

THE TRUE MEANING OF PHARMALY

In view of the whole pandemic context, an alternative: online exchanges. Associations from Egypt Feb. de 2020 | Vol. 8

(EPSF), France (ANEPF), Indonesia (BEM FF UI), Peru (Apefyb), among others, offered this great opportunity to pharmacy students. The most different proposals emerged: virtual exchanges of a single meeting, participation in a weekend and monthly meetings, all designed to enrich the learning and the exchange of experiences between future pharmacists.

The first online exchange offered for participation was EPSF - Virtual SEP. In the experience, they talked about the culture, language, clothing, traditions, currency, food, etc., of Egypt. In lectures, the various aspects and possibilities of the pharmaceutical area in the country were presented, whether in Industry, Clinic, Hospital or Community Pharmacy. It was also possible to follow, live and from various angles, a visit to the Pyramids of Egypt, which has been extremely enriching historically, especially at a time when the borders are closed. Some of the videos are still available in a Facebook group, thus allowing access whenever desired, enhancing the experience.

As a participant in the Virtual SEP With BEM FF UI, I was (Laura) introduced to the incredible culture, language, popular sayings and everyday life of students on the island of Jakarta, the only place in Indonesia where SEP is possible in the industrial area. The activities covered were very interactive and creative, with the cooperation of all participants in the event. In the end, a video competition was conceived with the award of traditional digital art made by one of the students and also cash prizes. As a Runner-up, I got digital art, in which I am wearing a traditional Borneo piece called King Bibinge, and in the background you can see the “Monumen Nasional ’’. For the cash prize, I chose to order more digital arts from the artist and donate part to the association. It was an incredible experience that allowed me to establish contact with several students from Indonesia and industrial practices in the country.

In the second half of the unusual year of 2020, ANEPF was kind enough to develop a project that aimed to bring pharmacy students from all over the world together. Through French or English, languages chosen by the student's preference, it was possible to strengthen ties with our mutuals, sharing experiences, stories, culture and the reality of the pharmaceutical profession in several countries. In November I (Samara), had the opportunity to meet and get close to four incredible people, who made me understand that no matter the place, the Pharmacy student will always hate organic chemistry. Jokes aside, our exchange of experiences, in addition to being aggrandizing, exceeded all my expectations. With a meeting in November, one in January and two in February, it was possible to share the culture of the region of each participant (Algeria, Brazil, Egypt and France), the student life and the curriculum of the Pharmacy course in these countries, as well as the options pharmacist's work areas. I was able to discover that Brazil has an incredible educational structure within the scope of pharmaceutical education that allows us to experience the practical experience of the countless areas of activity of the pharmacist, unlike the situation in other countries. In addition, our group can share the student life itself and compare how the initiation rituals to the college are similar (in France they have typical clothes from each university and there is a meeting of different students from different universities for the integration between the schools).

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PARO Newsletter #8 | English version

Therefore, the experience of online exchange was, in a way, the way that made it possible to exchange ideas and experiences that might not occur in face-to-face exchanges. In addition, it was a place of relaxation amid the uncertainties that the present and the future make us and will make us pass through.

This important interaction helps to strengthen ties and recognize that, regardless of the place in the world and the current chaotic situation, no matter what the circumstances, we will always have each other to learn and to be resilient, demonstrating the true meaning of Pharmily.

Feb. de 2020 | Vol. 8

52

Announcement of PARS 2022

Feb. de 2020 | Vol. 8

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INTERNACIONAL PHARMACEUTICAL STUDENTS' FEDERATION