A hundred years ago in Utrecht, Rudolf Magnus was named the first professor of pharmacology in the Netherlands. To honor this occasion, prominent Dutch scientists have organized two symposia: a public symposium on May 13, and a scientific symposium on May 16. Public symposium: “National Debate on Medicines” (Nationaal Geneesmiddelendebat) On Tuesday May 13, there will be a public symposium and debate organized by “100 Years of Pharmacology in the Netherlands” (100 jaar farmacologie in Nederland) on such topics as the role of the pharmaceutical industry and government, whether the cure is worse than the disease, whether all problems can be fixed with medication, and whether in future gas stations will be the most important point of sale for medicines. In addition to debates, extensive information on drugs will be available and patient associations will be on hand to provide information. The debate will take place in the Beatrix Theatre, Jaarbeurs Utrecht, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
At the end of nearly 60 percent of all of our visits to the doctor, we are given a prescription for drugs, and we also buy large amounts of over-the-counter medicines for what ails us. Cutting-edge topics will be debated: Why does the industry produce such a small number of new medicines? Are our standards for bringing new medicines onto the market too high? Do we too often use drugs inappropriately? Doesn’t all the media attention actually have an adverse effect and could it even be dangerous? Do we now believe drugs can fix everything? Do psychiatric patients get too much or too little medication? If patients are capable of taking responsibility for their own health, what’s wrong with selling medicines at the gas station?
Scientific symposium: “Pharmacology in the Netherlands: Today and Tomorrow” (De Farmacologie in Nederland: Heden en toekomst) Scientific pharmacological research in the Netherlands is the subject of the scientific symposium “Pharmacology in the Netherlands: Today and Tomorrow” to be held on May 16. One hundred years on, what has pharmacology provided and in particular, what does the future hold in store? The topics to be covered are the Top Institute Pharma initiative, the development of new drugs in academia and industry, the right dosage and transport molecules, the arsenal of medicines of the next decade, and pharmacology and registration of drugs in the future.
“100 Years of Pharmacology in the Netherlands” is an initiative of prominent scientists working in the area of drug research. The symposium will be chaired by Prof. Jan van Ree, Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience, UMC Utrecht. For more information (in Dutch) on the public symposium and about the other activities, please visit the following websites:
www.nationaalgeneesmiddelendebat.nl and
www.100jaarfarmacologie.nl