Pharmadanmark adopts new membership strategy

Engaged Pharmadanmark members gathered on Saturday for this year’s annual representative council meeting.

The meeting opened with a speech from Pharmadanmark’s chairman, Stine Hasling Mogensen. She reflected on the past year and highlighted some of the major changes affecting the Danish life science industry.

Stine emphasised how international political developments are also having an impact in Denmark. At the same time, major rounds of layoffs, including at Novo Nordisk, have affected many Pharmadanmark members.

Rapid developments in artificial intelligence (AI) are also reshaping the life science industry and changing the future job market.

In her speech, Stine highlighted Pharmadanmark’s growing focus on member events and professional networks. She pointed to Life Science Talks, which has become a flagship event in the industry.

Pharmadanmark also continues to develop new opportunities for members.

Building on the success of its leadership networks, Pharmadanmark is launching a new event series, 'Ledelsesstemmer i life science'. Prominent leaders will share their experiences, career journeys and perspectives on leadership.

The first event takes place on 26 November, featuring Ulla Krogsgaard Thomsen, CEO of Novo Nordisk Pharmatech. She will share her journey from researcher to CEO.

New alliances and continued political advocacy

Political advocacy was another important topic at the annual meeting. Pharmadanmark remains committed to achieving results through partnerships and strategic alliances.

Work within the Danish AMR-Alliance continues. Together with the Novo Nordisk Foundation and Pfizer, Pharmadanmark has been appointed to provide secretariat support for the advisory group overseeing the implementation of Denmark’s national action plan on antimicrobial resistance.

Pharmadanmark has also secured its own seat on the advisory group, where Stine Hasling Mogensen will represent the association.

In 2026, Pharmadanmark joined forces with the Danish Society for Patient Safety and the Association of Danish Pharmacies to establish Sammen om Sikker Medicinering (Working Together for Safe Medication), also known as SOS Medicinering.

Work is also underway to establish a new alliance focusing on rare diseases.

Other key political priorities include professional authorisation for pharmacists and the many reforms affecting universities and students.

Pharmadanmark will advocate for its relevant degree programmes to benefit from the 2,000 new university seats planned within science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

The association will also oppose the government's proposal to introduce an employment requirement averaging four hours per week to qualify for unemployment benefits for recent graduates.

Another proposal Pharmadanmark opposes would remove or reduce student grants for students living with their parents, depending on parental income.

New membership strategy to strengthen Pharmadanmark

One of the most important decisions of the day was the adoption of Pharmadanmark’s new membership strategy.

Developing the strategy has been one of the association’s largest internal projects this year.

The ambition is clear: Pharmadanmark aims to remain the preferred professional association for leaders, employees and students in the life science industry. It also aims to be a strong and relevant partner throughout members’ studies and working lives.

A key priority is to improve and digitalise the member experience.

This includes strengthening communication across social media, the website and the membership system. New digital solutions and automated email journeys will help provide more relevant and targeted communication.

New member benefits, including courses offered in partnership with external training providers, will also support members’ professional development and career progression.

The strategy places a strong emphasis on wellbeing and professional communities.

Pharmadanmark aims to support members’ wellbeing throughout their studies and careers. It will also create more opportunities for members to connect, share experiences and build professional networks.

How can we prepare for future crises?

Following the meeting's discussions, the day concluded with a series of expert talks on emergency preparedness and crisis management.

The talks focused particularly on medicine supply, healthcare preparedness and the resilience of the healthcare system.

Four speakers shared different perspectives on how society can prepare for and respond to future crises:

• Rikke Løvig Simonsen, director of Region Hovedstadens Apotek: Provided insights into pharmaceutical emergency preparedness, security of medicine supply and the production of critical medicines. She also discussed how the new Region of Eastern Denmark will affect future preparedness.

• Lise Holten, senior consultant for Health and Elderly Care at Kommunernes Landsforening: Focused on municipal healthcare emergency preparedness, including how to ensure access to medicines, care and support for vulnerable citizens during crises.

• Inge Kristensen, director of the Danish Society for Patient Safety: Presented the BOOST project, which aims to strengthen citizens’ health knowledge and ability to take action. The goal is to help people take greater responsibility for their own health and contribute to civilian healthcare preparedness.

• Birgitte Dam Jensen, author of Modstandskraft (Resilience) and educator: Explored the human aspects of emergency preparedness, including how people respond under extreme pressure. She also discussed how healthcare professionals can help reduce fear and anxiety among patients.

The presentations highlighted an increasingly important question in a time of growing international uncertainty: How can we ensure a resilient healthcare system and a secure medicine supply when crises occur?

The day ended with a dinner, giving members of Pharmadanmark’s Representative Council an opportunity to continue their conversations and strengthen connections across the association.