In the long run, without additional sources of income, it will be impossible for IUPHAR to carry forward its baseline activities, let alone support new initiatives.

Positive:

• Bank charges have been reduced
• A grant of $100,000 has been received from ICSU to support the NC-IUPHAR database project.

Langer suggested that IUPHAR increase Member and Associate dues, and Prof Vanhoutte suggested that we push for more Regional Members. Vanhoutte also reminded everyone that the $20,000 spent on NC-IUPHAR meetings cannot be reduced; one meeting per year slows down progress. Dr Duckles said that, for the cost, the meetings were efficient and motivational, and that possibly the next Executive Committee Meeting should be adjacent to an NC-IUPHAR meeting. Prof Fleming said that, in regards to SF2002, we owe ASPET a debt of gratitude, since they guaranteed IUPHAR a minimum amount, and actually lost money on the congress.

Prof Sjöqvist reminded everyone that although the Florence 2000 meeting generated income, the Clinical Division has not received funds since then. They previously received $10,000 annually. Sjöqvist urged that IUPHAR sort out the formalities of dispensing funds. Langer agreed, but stressed that each dispersal must be justified, and that the Clinical Division needs to apply annually. Duckles reminded everyone that the Executive Committee has a fiduciary responsibility, and each Section and the Division should make annual financial reports. Sjöqvist expressed concern that Pharmacology is losing impact all over the world, and that our budget is too conservative. Vanhoutte agreed, but stressed that additional funding must be obtained for any additional activities.

Langer described how some Members do not reply to letters and emails, and that we have not heard from certain Members in some time. He will send out an Excel spreadsheet of who has paid dues recently. Prof Hawksworth volunteered to contact individuals she knows in countries whose societies have not paid, suggesting that personal appeals may be more effective. Duckles asked that a list of societies in arrears be sent to all members of the Executive Committee, and each can pursue contacts.

The projection for Member dues for 2004 is $54,000, thus Langer suggested that IUPHAR should reinstate Corporate Memberships. Langer reminded everyone that 2/3 of Pharmaceutical Industry funds are spent on marketing, and stressed that it is best to combine approaches to Pharma. Fleming suggested we should approach based on specific projects. Hawksworth pointed out that Sections should communicate to eliminate competition. Ferreira suggested joint projects with other disciplines; Khayyal recalled that the successful meeting in Alexandria, which was funded by Pharma, involved Clinical Pharmacologists and Cardiologists. Langer moved to ask corporations for $20,000 for platinum and $5000 for gold Memberships. Vanhoutte seconded. The proposal was unanimously approved.

Langer proposed a fund-raising committee chaired by Langer with du Souich (as Clinical Division Chair), Makoto Endo and Paul Vanhoutte as members. In the future, individuals outside of the Executive Committee could be involved. As stated above, without identification of new and continued sources of funding, the activities of IUPHAR will be strictly curtailed.

There was considerable discussion of the desirability of raising Member dues. Pursuant to the IUPHAR Statutes VI.5, it was moved to increase dues 10% for 2005 and a further 5% for 2006, and submit further changes to the General Assembly in Beijing in 2006. The motion was seconded and the proposal unanimously approved.

Duckles also stressed that we must clarify before the 2006 General Assembly who has voting rights and who does not (because of non-payment of dues). Angus concurred, remembering how it was difficult to exclude delegates from societies in arrears from the General Assembly in 2002. Langer has sent out letters to negotiate with Members in arrears. Du Souich asserted that making past payments may be impossible for some Members, and that people always ask what benefits are associated with belonging to IUPHAR. Duckles asked if past dues before 2003 owed by societies should be forgiven, and Khayyal suggested that we could negotiate partial payment. Angus reminded that societies in arrears can appeal to participate in the General Assembly. Duckles suggested that wording from the statutes be put on the invoice, and du Souich added that a list of benefits of IUPHAR membership should be included. It was moved to forgive dues for the years 2002 and before, and then enforce IUPHAR Statues III.5.c: “Membership withdrawal for Full Members becomes effective when… the annual dues have not been paid for more than three years, unless, upon petition and explanation from the Member, the Officers of IUPHAR determine that financial exigency makes payment impossible.” The motion was seconded and the proposal unanimously approved.

Duckles recalled that at the 2002 General Assembly it was decided that IUPHAR will be audited every four years by outside auditors. IUPHAR financial statements are audited every year by our internal auditors. Audited financial statements for 2003 have yet to be completed. Angus verified that this also meets the requirements for our status as a non-profit organization in Switzerland.

8. IUPHAR Meetings

a. Policy Matters

i. Interpretation of Statutes. In February, 2004 an e-mail vote of the IUPHAR Executive Committee was taken to confirm interpretation of the IUPHAR statutes, section VIII 3, concerning the composition of IUPHAR Finance Committees for each World Congress. The question was whether “The Treasurer” refers to the current treasurer. This interpretation was supported by a majority of the Executive Committee.

ii. Some months ago Prof Kim Brøsen asked the Executive Committee to consider including the President of IUPHAR Congresses on the Executive Committee to facilitate communication. In practice, many presidents have served on the Executive Committee. Vanhoutte agreed with the idea, but pointed out this would require a change in the statutes. Therefore, this issue was referred to an ad hoc sub-committee that will review the Statutes and suggest revisions to be presented to the General Assembly in 2006 (see below).

b. Bids for 2014. Preliminary bids for 2014 will be reviewed at the next Executive Committee meeting, in one year’s time. Therefore, a letter will be sent out early next year to invite Member Societies to submit preliminary bids for 2014. This would allow members to prepare final bids for presentation to the General Assembly in 2006. Du Souich stressed that the 2014 congress must include clinical input; Duckles suggested drafting a letter to Members to solicit bids and address issues, including the role of clinical pharmacology. Fleming asked that a list of recent Congresses be included, so that a society who is ineligible to host does not put effort into submitting a bid. Angus suggested that the letter state that this step is an expression of interest only. Furthermore, effort needs to be made to revise the Standard Operating Procedures for Congresses, which may no longer be entirely appropriate.

c. Future of IUPHAR Congresses. A number of issues need to be considered concerning the future of IUPHAR Congresses. These include: How often should congresses be held? Should we continue to have a combined basic and clinical pharmacology congress? Should IUPHAR ask for a set amount per registrant as income to IUPHAR? How should a profit be shared between IUPHAR and the organizers? Should production of compendia be continued, and what form should the compendium take – printed, electronic? What role should industry sponsors play? It was suggested that, if there are 4 years between IUPHAR congresses, the increased interval could be filled with regional meetings or meetings in conjunction with regional groups such as Latin American, European and Arab.

Langer suggested joint efforts with Pharma. Sjöqvist urged caution, as we need to focus on disease treatment, rather than specific products. Du Souich agreed that our meetings do not attract industry, and we need to keep a clean image, focusing on research. Langer suggested that donations or contracts could be arranged, as long as ethical conditions are met, and that we cannot miss funding opportunities.

Because considerably more discussion is needed, a sub-committee was appointed to consider all issues related to the future of IUPHAR Congresses, chaired by Prof Angus. Fleming volunteered, and Ferreira, Sjöqvist and du Souich also will serve. Prof. Kim Brøsen will be asked to participate. Initial deliberations must be completed by November, 2004 so that a letter calling for bids can be sent out before the end of the year.

d. CPT2004: Brisbane

Profs Donald Birkett and Felix Bochner met with the committee. The organizers expressed disappointment with the low number of registrants. Some of the issues were:

The meeting planners employed by the Congress organizers underwent repeated staff changes and reorganizations, undermining the effectiveness of Congress planning.

Some societies were reluctant to forward electronic updates to their members.

The value of the Australian dollar changed greatly after the registration fee was set, causing the price to be much higher in some currencies than originally planned

A major success was that Pharma contributions exceeded the goal of $400,000 AUS. The program was set early to interest sponsors. Birkett suggested that industry could be further involved in the future by offering sponsored evening symposia, to which practitioners could be invited. Despite the difficulties, all members of the Executive Committee congratulated the organizers on the outstanding and stimulating program.

The Executive Committee also congratulated Professor Du Souich and his collaborators on an excellent compendium, "The IUPHAR Compendium of Basic Guidelines for Pharmacological Research in Humans". It was decided that the compendium should be made available on the IUPHAR web site. If any societies wish to translate the compendium into other languages, that should be encouraged.

e. Beijing 2006

Prof Lin outlined organizing efforts to date. The XVth World Congress of Pharmacology will be held at the Beijing International Convention Center. The Program Committee Chair is Prof Xue-Jun Li. A compendium will be distributed on nuclear receptors, to be edited by Vincent Laudet.

Prof. Vanhoutte reported that the International Advisory Committee just completed a two-day meeting in Beijing. Many suggestions were received by the organizers, and, in collaboration with the International Advisory Committee the preliminary program has been set. This includes 18 plenary lectures, 52 symposia and 6 workshops. There will be a session for the IUPHAR Young Investigators award, an IUPHAR Lecturer in analytical pharmacology and poster presentations of submitted abstracts.

In addition, the Danish society will have their yearly meeting in Beijing at the time of the congress, and the British society will celebrate its 75th Anniversary at the Beijing meeting. Angus and Hawksworth stressed involving younger pharmacologists. Prof Lin outlined the efforts that the Chinese Pharmacological Society has already made to provide opportunities for young Chinese pharmacologists to practice presenting their work in English, in order to prepare them to effectively participate in the 2006 meeting.

Prof. Lin raised the topic of the format of the three volumes to be produced for the congress: Program, Abstracts and Compendium. After lengthy discussion it was recommended that the following formats would be most appropriate: The program should be printed. The abstracts should be distributed in electronic format on a CD, although a printed volume could be available at the registration desk for an additional cost. The compendium should be distributed as a CD. The participant list will be included on the Abstracts CD.

A committee to select The IUPHAR Lecturer in Analytical Pharmacology was appointed. Jim Angus will chair and Pat Humphrey, Arthur Christopolous, and Anthony Harmar will be asked to serve. The input of the NC-IUPHAR Committee will be sought.

f. Quebec 2008

Prof. du Souich reported that the organizers for CPT2008 have held 6 teleconferences and 3 meetings. Quebec City, the site of the meeting, will be celebrating its 400th anniversary, so there will be many local activities. Both du Souich and Sjöqvist stressed that both clinical and basic pharmacology should be represented in the program. Sjöqvist pointed out that the 2010 meeting in Copenhagen is an experiment in combining the congresses, but if Quebec is successful, that could be re-considered. A meeting of the IUPHAR Finance Committee will be held to negotiate a contract between IUPHAR and CPT2008 during the week in Brisbane. It is anticipated that the contract will be signed shortly thereafter. An International Advisory Committee will be appointed at the next Executive Committee meeting; it was suggested that the Clinical Division should be consulted for recommendations.

g. Copenhagen 2010

Report from the Finance Committee: S. Langer, Chair. Prof Langer reported that conversations with the Copenhagen organizers are continuing, and additional meetings will be held in Brisbane.

9. IUPHAR Name Change

An e-mail vote of the General Assembly was held in June, 2003 to consider a proposal to change the name of IUPHAR to the International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology. This proposal was passed by a two-thirds majority (62 of a total of 91 delegates voted; 56 for and 5 against). Therefore, this name change has been adopted[lh1] on an interim basis. In accord with IUPHAR Statutes, it must be ratified by the General Assembly in 2006.

10. Membership Committee

A detailed report from Professor Karl Netter, chair of the membership committee, was reviewed and approved. A number of societies have expressed interest in joining IUPHAR, and Professor Netter is working with the leaders of these organizations to develop applications for review and possible consideration at the next General Assembly meeting.

As IUPHAR is working to integrate basic and clinical pharmacology activities, it would be desirable to encourage more clinical pharmacology societies to join IUPHAR. According to the IUPHAR statutes, Section III l, “a national or regional society must be acknowledged as the main pharmacological organization of the country or region represented.” Thus several Clinical Pharmacology Societies have recently joined IUPHAR as associate members. However, in a number of countries, basic and clinical societies are united. This is an important issue that needs to be considered in more depth. Thus an ad hoc committee will be appointed to review the IUPHAR statutes and recommend revisions to be brought to the General Assembly in Beijing.

11. Ad Hoc Committee for IUPHAR Statute Revisions

Prof G. Hawksworth consented to chair. P. du Souich, P. Vanhoutte, Z-B Lin and S.P. Duckles also will serve. Proposed revisions will be considered at the next meeting of the Executive Committee. Issues include: change of IUPHAR name, rules for membership (one member/country or region), possibility of e-mail ballots for General Assembly business between World Congresses.

12. Ad Hoc Committee re Benefits of Joining IUPHAR

Another issue concerns the benefits of belonging to IUPHAR. It was suggested that a list of these benefits would be useful in communicating with potential, as well as current members. Therefore, an ad hoc committee was appointed. Prof P. du Souich will chair, and Professors Khayyal, Ferreira, Fleming and Brøsen will participate.

13. Nominating Committee

Prof T. Godfraind, chair of the Nominating Committee sent a written report. The committee will prepare a slate of 10 nominees for the Executive Committee to be presented to the 2006 General Assembly. All IUPHAR members have been notified and given a deadline of August 31 (subsequently extended to September 30). Duckles urged sections and the division to make nominations. Nominations should be submitted to Lindsay Hart (hartl@uci.edu) who will forward them to Prof Godfraind.

14. Division and Sections

Given the fiduciary responsibility of the IUPHAR Executive Committee, Duckles reiterated that, going forward, all sections and the division will be asked to provide an annual fiscal account, which will be included with the IUPHAR fiscal accounting. Prof Sjöqvist pointed out that the Division of Clinical Pharmacology has routinely done this already.

a. Division of Clinical Pharmacology

Sjöqvist reported on activities of the Clinical Division, including completion of the compendium for CPT2004 with du Souich, Erill and Orme as editors, contributions to the book “Drug Benefits and Risks International Textbook of Clinical Pharmacology” Ed. By Chris Van Boxtel, Budiono Santoso and Ralph Edwards. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.,”, and acceptance of the proposal to change the name of IUPHAR. There have also been considerable efforts to increase collaboration with the World Health Organization. Prof. Birkett, Ofori-Adjei and Sjövist have made major contributions to the WHO manual “Introduction to Drug Uitilization Research, 2003”. The Clinical Division has had significant activity in the Arab world, including participation in meetings in Alexandria, Menoufia, and Cairo. Instructions for councilors have been developed so that new participants will know what is expected.

The General Assembly of the Clinical Division will be held in Brisbane. New officers and councilors for 2004-2008 will be selected. Sjöqvist stated that the clinical division did not receive $10,000 from the IUPHAR treasury for 2002, 2003 and 2004. He agreed to make a retroactive request for years 2003 and 2004 to Langer, and forego 2002. Sjöqvist also stressed the continuing need to recruit participants from non-western countries.

b. Section of Drug Metabolism

A detailed report from the Chair, Prof. John Miners was reviewed. The section participated in meetings in developing countries, including Constanta, Romania in 2002, Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2004 and workshops in Nairobi, Kenya, 2003. The section plans to organize a satellite to the Beijing World Congress in 2006 and has been active in submitting program suggestions for each World Congress.

c. Section of Drug Toxicology. Chair Prof Jose Castro is pursuing a joint IUPHAR/IUTOX symposium in Beijing, as well as activities in developing countries.

d. Section of Gastrointestinal Pharmacology. The section has a new slate of officers and will submit symposia proposals for Beijing.

e. Section of Neuropsychopharmacology. No report. Ferreira agreed to serve as an Executive Committee liaison to the section. Duckles will contact the chair.

f. Section on Pharmacogenetics and Pharmacogenomics. Duckles reported that Prof Philippe Amouyel was appointed chair; there is no report.

g. Section on Safety Pharmacology. Duckles reported that this section is still in need of a chair.

h. Section on Teaching. A report from Prof Ian Hughes was reviewed. The Teaching Section submitted a number of proposals for Beijing and has also proposed a satellite meeting. An Education Workshop organized by Dr. Michael Lew took place at the Brisbane meeting.

i. Working Group on Natural Products. No report (a report was subsequently received from David Story). It was decided that Prof Ricky Man from Hong Kong University should serve as chair, as he is well positioned to work with the organizers of the Beijing meeting. David Story will continue as a member, as he has developed important contacts. It will be important to develop symposia and also a satellite meeting for the Beijing meeting.

15. Reports from International Organization

a. International Council for Science (ICSU) The 28th General Assembly of ICSU will be held October 17-21, 2005 in Shanghai and Suzhou, China. Hopefully, Prof Fleming or Prof. Vanhoutte will represent IUPHAR. Prof Lin reported that he serves on the Chinese committee organizing this meeting.

The International Commission for Acoustics is applying for admission to ICSU and requests support for this application from IUPHAR. This was unanimously approved.

b. IUTOX The 10th International Congress of Toxicology was held July 11-15, 2004 in Tampere, Finland. A joint IUPHAR/IUTOX symposium, “New Trends and new tools in safety pharmacology” was organized by Alan Bass and Jean-Roger Claude. The conferences on “Toxicology in Developing Countries” have been brought under the umbrella of IUTOX and there may be scope for joint workshops with the IUPHAR Section on Drug Metabolism.

c. World Health Organization (WHO) Sjöqvist suggested that IUPHAR, in particular the Division on Clinical Pharmacology, develop a long-term strategy for collaboration with WHO.

16. NC-IUPHAR

A detailed report from Prof Michael Spedding, chair of the NC-IUPHAR Committee, was reviewed. IUPHAR recently received an ICSU grant of $100,000 for the NC-IUPHAR database project. Reviewers emphasized the value of free access of data for scientists worldwide and lauded the proposal as visionary and extremely well planned. Prof Fleming was thanked for his assistance in contacting other unions to serve as partners in this application. Other accomplishments include 21 publications in 2002-2004, and coordination of over 50 sub-committees on receptor and ion channel nomenclature. The on-line IUPHAR Receptor Database and Voltage-gated ion channel databases have been launched. Development was supported by a generous educational grant from Incyte Genomics. NC-IUPHAR has set up an office to maintain the database at the University of Edinburgh under the direction of Prof. A Harmar. Duckles recommended that Spedding continue as Chair of NC-IUPHAR for another two years. The proposal was unanimously approved.

17. Other Business

There was no other business

18. Next Meeting

The next Executive Committee Meeting will be held in conjunction with NC-IUPHAR in Paris on Monday, April 25 and Tuesday, April 26, 2005.

31 July, 2004