APIFARMA was founded in 1975, succeeding the Grémio Nacional dos Industriais de Especialidades Farmacêuticas, an institution created in 1939.





Today Apifarma represents more than 130 companies active in the Production and Import of Proprietary Medicinal Products for Human and Veterinary Use, Sera, Vaccines, Active Substances for Medicinal Products and Auxiliary Diagnostic Products.



Apifarma's usual counterparties in resolving common problems and fostering the social and economic development of the sector and the country, the improvement of health in Portugal and increased access by patients to new therapies are the Public Administration, Parliamentary committees, domestic and international organisations, patients' associations and trade unions.



In June 1999, Apifarma was elected to the Management Board of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industry Associations (EFPIA), its intervention at EU level thus being strengthened.



Its provision of services to its members covers all multi-disciplinary fields relevant to the sector. In functional terms, Apifarma is divided into three separate but complementary areas:



The Institutional Department, which, among other duties, represents Apifarma before European institutions and governmental agencies which supervise the medicinal products sector, peer organisations and other partners in thehealth field, domestically and internationally;



The Technical Department, responsible for providing services in the economic, fiscal, financial, labour, pharmaceutical, legal, deontological and professional training fields;



The Communication Department, which, through an integrated communication programme which includes events, scientific meetings and various publications, promotes the image and positions of the Pharmaceutical Industry before the media, patients' associations, opinion leaders and the public in general.