Supporter Spotlight: Amgen Canada

The Canadian Foundation for Pharmacy (CFP) is Canada’s only national charity for pharmacy, dedicated to funding practice-based pharmacy research and innovative models of practice for the benefit of all pharmacists in Canada.

What inspired Amgen to become a supporter of CFP?

Amgen’s mission is to serve patients, and we recognize the important role pharmacists play throughout the healthcare journey.

CFP’s focus on research, innovation, knowledge translation and leadership development aligns closely with Amgen’s commitment to strengthening the healthcare system and supporting better patient care.

Over that time, our relationship has evolved alongside the expanding role of pharmacy in Canada and CFP’s efforts to connect research, practice and meaningful system change.

What CFP initiatives are particularly important to the profession right now?

The Innovation Fund is especially important because it supports practical research and innovative models that address real challenges in pharmacy practice. Expanding pharmacists’ scope is important, but the profession also needs evidence, sustainable workflows, appropriate tools and implementation models that help pharmacists use that scope effectively.

CFP’s Provincial Pharmacy Services Chart and Changing Face of Pharmacy report help the profession understand how practice is evolving across Canada and showcase practical examples of pharmacists responding to patient and health-system needs.

Leadership programs such as the Wellspring Pharmacy Leadership Awards are equally important. The future of pharmacy will depend on leaders who can translate opportunities into sustainable improvements in practice and patient care.

What opportunities do you see for stronger collaboration between industry and organizations like CFP?

There is a significant opportunity to collaborate on the evidence and implementation gaps that can limit the full contribution pharmacists make within the healthcare system.

Industry can contribute scientific knowledge, health-system experience, resources and an understanding of patient journeys. Organizations such as CFP bring credibility, independence and strong connections across practice, research, academia and professional associations. Together, these perspectives can help identify meaningful research questions, support knowledge translation and develop practical tools for front-line pharmacy practice.

What do you hope Amgen’s partnership with CFP will achieve for pharmacy and, ultimately, for patients?

We hope our partnership contributes to an environment in which pharmacists have the evidence, knowledge, practical tools and professional support needed to fully use their expertise.

For the profession, this means supporting innovation, leadership and the practical implementation of evolving scopes of practice. It also means helping translate research findings into models and resources that can be applied in community and other pharmacy settings.

Ultimately, we hope this contributes to more timely, coordinated and accessible care. Pharmacists are often among the most frequent and trusted points of contact in the healthcare system, so we hope through our support to ultimately improve the overall patient experience.

In what other ways is Amgen helping support pharmacy in Canada?

Amgen works with national and provincial pharmacy associations, pharmacy organizations, educators and other healthcare stakeholders to better understand the evolving needs of patients.

Our support includes investments in evidence-based education, professional conferences, practical resources and programs that help pharmacists apply their clinical knowledge in everyday practice. We also support initiatives examining how workflow, expanded scope and collaboration with other professionals can improve care delivery.

A key focus is translating clinical knowledge into practical action. This can include helping pharmacists identify patients who may require additional assessment, communicate and refer appropriately to prescribers, reinforce ongoing treatment and help patients navigate their healthcare journey.

Because pharmacy practice and publicly funded services differ across Canada, we believe it is important to listen to pharmacy leaders and recognize the needs of individual jurisdictions.

Our objective is to be a thoughtful and consistent partner while remaining focused on what matters most: helping patients receive appropriate and timely care.