Building a stable framework aimed at improving the quality of care, safeguarding patient safety and ensuring the long-term sustainability of the National Health Service: this is the shared commitment reaffirmed by the leaders of AIFA and FIASO (Italian Federation of Local Health and Hospital Authorities) during the meeting held at the Agency’s headquarters.

“We have shared with the newly elected president, Quintavalle, the desire to continue and further structure our mutual collaboration on issues of shared interest, such as appropriate prescribing, safety of care, innovation and training, by combining the Agency’s regulatory expertise with the extensive organisational and regional research network represented by FIASO,” states AIFA President Robert Nisticò.

“For local health authorities, strengthening pharmacovigilance means having more effective tools to prevent risks, protect patients and improve the quality of care. In this regard, FIASO is ready to contribute to the definition of a shared operational roadmap, leveraging the role of member organisations and the regional and hospital network, to make treatment pathways more consistent, the use of medicines more appropriate and innovation within the NHS more sustainable,” highlights Giuseppe Quintavalle, President of FIASO.

The meeting provided an opportunity to outline a programme of forthcoming joint actions:

• Strengthening pharmacovigilance: the two institutions will work to integrate regional and hospital information flows and promote active surveillance models based on real-world data, with particular regard to the most vulnerable populations, such as elderly patients or those on multiple medications.
• Prescribing appropriateness: the aim is to develop shared clinical audit tools, improve treatment adherence and reduce inconsistencies and inappropriateness at regional and organisational levels.
• Precision medicine and complexity management: AIFA and FIASO intend to promote personalised medicine models, supporting diagnostic and therapeutic pathways based on genetic testing and biomarkers. Particular attention will be paid to the management of polypharmacy in cancer patients and the elderly, promoting treatment review pathways (deprescribing) and alert algorithms for drug interactions.
• Innovation and sustainability: the collaboration will involve the validated use of predictive algorithms to support clinical practice, patient stratification models and tools to monitor pharmaceutical consumption and expenditure in synergy.

To further advance these activities, AIFA and FIASO have agreed to set up a dedicated technical group that will draw up an annual work programme featuring pilot projects and continuing professional development schemes within the local health authorities.

In addition to Nisticò and Quintavalle, the meeting was attended by Technical and Scientific Director Pierluigi Russo and Administrative Director Giovanni Pavesi on behalf of AIFA, and Director Nicola Pinelli on behalf of FIASO.