Pharmaceutical Care Network Europe

What Pharmaceutical Care Network Europe does

Pharmaceutical Care Network Europe (PCNE) is a professional non-profit association established in 1994 by European pharmaceutical care researchers and registered as an official association under Dutch law in 2004, with its professional secretariat located in Basel, Switzerland. The organization is dedicated to advancing pharmaceutical care — defined by PCNE as the pharmacist's contribution to optimizing medicines use and improving health outcomes — through research, consensus definitions, and standardized tools for use across European pharmacy practice.

PCNE's core outputs are standardized, internationally validated research instruments rather than commercial software products. These include the PCNE-DRP Classification system for drug-related problems (currently Version 9.1, validated by 158 pharmacists from 12 countries and translated into seven languages), the 15-STARS adherence questionnaire (a 15-item screening instrument published open access in 2024), consensus definitions of medication review, and quality indicators for pharmaceutical care. The association operates four active working groups (Medication Review, Drug-Related Problem Classification, Guidelines & Indicators, and Medication Adherence) that produce these assets collaboratively. Distribution channels are the pcne.org website (public documents) and the pcne-cloud.com members-only portal, supplemented by biennial Working Conferences (held since 1999) and annual Working Symposia (held since 2009) across European cities.

PCNE's business model is a hybrid event-driven and sponsorship-supported association structure. Membership is currently free with no fees requested under the bylaws, though the General Assembly retains the power to impose contributions. Revenue derives from conference and symposium registration fees (tiered for regular participants, master students, and PhD students) and sponsorships from national pharmacist associations (KNMP, ABDA, Austrian Chamber of Pharmacists, pharmaSuisse), publishers (Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy), academic hosts (University of Innsbruck, Pharmakon), and the State Chancellery of Basel. Customers are individual pharmaceutical care researchers, practicing community and clinical pharmacists, and PhD/Masters students across 20+ European countries, with a few researchers from Australia, Serbia, and other geographies; PCNE is governed by a 7-member board (2024-2026 term).

Name

Pharmaceutical Care Network Europe

Legal name

Pharmaceutical Care Network Europe

Website

https://pcne.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

PCNE is a European non-profit association founded in 1994 that develops and disseminates validated pharmaceutical care research instruments (DRP Classification V9.1, 15-STARS adherence questionnaire, medication review guidelines) and serves academic researchers, practicing pharmacists, and graduate students across 20+ European countries through biennial conferences, working groups, and free membership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pharmaceutical Care Research

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sponsorship, Exhibitor & Partnership Management Services (THAHACAK)

Keywords

• Pharmaceutical care research
• Drug-related problem classification
• Medication adherence assessment
• Pharmacy practice conferences
• Medication review guidelines

Headquarters

HQ city

Basel

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Contributions: Currently membership is free with no fees requested, per the bylaws. However, the organizational bylaws enable the General Assembly to impose membership contributions in the future. The amount would be determined by the general assembly.
2. Conference Registration Fees: PCNE earns revenue through registration fees for its bi-annual Working Conferences and annual Working Symposia. Fee tiers exist for regular participants, master students, PhD students, and pre-symposium sessions. Sponsors (pharmaceutical associations, pharmacies, publishers) also provide sponsorship revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Pharmaceutical Care Network Europe (PCNE) is a professional association that develops and disseminates standardized classification frameworks, questionnaires, and consensus guidelines for pharmaceutical care research and practice. It runs biennial Working Conferences and annual Working Symposia and operates four working groups (Medication Review, Drug-Related Problem Classification, Guidelines and Indicators, and Medication Adherence) that produce outputs such as the PCNE-DRP Classification V9.1 and the 15-STARS adherence questionnaire.

Product overview

Pharmaceutical Care Network Europe (PCNE) is a professional association focused on pharmaceutical care research and practice, established in 1994 and officially registered under Dutch law in 2004. The organization operates a platform of interconnected products and services centered around biennial Working Conferences (uneven years) and Working Symposia (even years), both typically held in February. Core offerings include the PCNE-DRP Classification system for drug-related problems (currently V9.1) and the 15-STARS Medication Adherence Questionnaire, both developed through dedicated working groups. Additional services include Guidelines and Indicators development, Medication Review standards, awards for research excellence, the Foppe van Mil Memorial Lecture series, newsletters, and membership programs. The organization facilitates research collaboration and knowledge sharing across European pharmaceutical care researchers through conferences, working groups, and dissemination services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PCNE Working Conferences Bi-annual 3-4 day educational conferences with extensive workshop programming for pharmaceutical care researchers and practitioners across Europe. Held in uneven years, typically in February, in rotating European cities.
• PCNE Working Symposia One-day focused workshops held in even years (typically February) on pharmaceutical care topics such as drug-related problem classification, medication review approaches, and joint European research projects.
• PCNE-DRP Classification V9.1 Drug-Related Problem classification system (V9.1) for coding drug-related problems, causes, and pharmacist interventions in pharmaceutical care research and practice. Available in multiple languages.
• 15-STARS Adherence Questionnaire A 15-item self-report questionnaire for screening medication non-adherence focused on patients' modifiable determinants. Validated translations available in Albanian, Arabic, Bulgarian, Croatian, Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Lithuanian, Mandarin, and Portuguese.
• Medication Review Guidelines and Definition Consensus-based definition of medication review ('a structured evaluation of a patient's medicines with the aim of optimising medicines use and improving health outcomes') and a typology distinguishing different types of medication review, plus a patient selection algorithm.
• Quality Indicators for Pharmaceutical Care Quality indicators classification for measuring pharmaceutical care quality in community pharmacy, developed through systematic literature review and international consensus across 20 countries.
• PCNE Membership Membership program with categories including individual members, institutions, institutional team members, observers, and honorary members. Currently free membership with expectations of attendance at PCNE events.

Quantifiable outcome

• PCNE-DRP Classification V9.1 validated by 158 pharmacists from 12 countries in international validation round 2
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Förderinitiative Pharmazeutische BetreuungcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFörderinitiative Pharmazeutische Betreuung is a consistent sponsor of the PCNE Oral Communication Award at Working Conferences and Symposia. This partnership has been active annually since at least 2018, recognizing outstanding oral presentations in pharmaceutical care research at PCNE events.
• PD Dr. Isabelle Arnet (University of Basel)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPD Dr. Isabelle Arnet sponsors the PCNE Poster Presentation Award at Working Conferences and Symposia. She is also a co-leader of the PCNE Medication Adherence Working Group and co-developed the 15-STARS questionnaire. She sponsored the Isabelle Arnet-Poster Prize PCNE 2025.
• Dutch Pharmacists' Association KNMPmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKNMP sponsored the PCNE Poster Presentation Award at the 7th Working Symposium 2020 (Egmond), 8th Working Symposium 2022 (Lisbon), and 12th Working Conference 2021 (online). The partnership recognizes poster presentations in pharmaceutical care research.
• EDQM (European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEDQM established a multidisciplinary group to draft a resolution on pharmaceutical care principles, adopted by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on 11 March 2020. PCNE contributed to and collaborates with EDQM on implementation of pharmaceutical care. PCNE featured an EDQM-related paper in its news (2023), and PCNE working groups align with EDQM frameworks.
• pharmaSuisse (Swiss Pharmacists Association)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerpharmaSuisse supported the organization of the 9th PCNE Working Symposium 2024 in Basel, Switzerland as a supporting organization. They are the Swiss national pharmacists' association.
• Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy (RSAP) JournalmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRSAP served as a supporting sponsor and publishing partner for PCNE symposium abstracts at the 9th PCNE Working Symposium 2024 (Basel) and 10th PCNE Working Symposium 2026 (Innsbruck). RSAP is a reference journal in pharmacy practice research and celebrated its 20th anniversary at the PCNE 2024 symposium.
• University of InnsbruckcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe University of Innsbruck served as the host and organizational supporter for both the 14th PCNE Working Conference 2025 and the 10th PCNE Working Symposium 2026, providing the Ágnes-Heller-Haus venue at Innrain University Campus.
• European Society of Clinical Pharmacy (ESCP)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPCNE and ESCP co-organized a joint networking social event including dinner at the 10th PCNE Working Symposium 2026 in Innsbruck. ESCP's Spring Workshop followed the PCNE symposium, with combined registration for the joint event.
• Austrian Chamber of Pharmacists (Österreichische Apothekerkammer)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Austrian Chamber of Pharmacists was a Gold Sponsor of the 14th PCNE Working Conference 2025 and the sponsor of the pre-symposium in German language at the 10th PCNE Working Symposium 2026. They organized and hosted the pre-symposium sessions.
• ABDA - Federal Union of German Associations of PharmacistsmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerABDA was a supporting sponsor of the 14th PCNE Working Conference 2025 and sponsor of the best oral presentation at the 10th PCNE Working Symposium 2026. ABDA's staff (Dr. Christiane Eickhoff) co-leads the PCNE Medication Adherence Working Group.
• State Chancellery of City of BaselminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe State Chancellery of City of Basel was a Silver Sponsor of the 9th PCNE Working Symposium 2024, which was held in Basel as part of PCNE's 30th anniversary celebrations.
• TopPharm (Grouping of Independent Community Pharmacies, Switzerland)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerTopPharm supported the organization of the 9th PCNE Working Symposium 2024 in Basel as a Bronze Sponsor, representing a grouping of independent Swiss community pharmacies.
• OFAC (Professional Cooperative Society of Swiss Pharmacists)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerOFAC supported the organization of the 9th PCNE Working Symposium 2024 in Basel as a Bronze Sponsor, representing the Swiss pharmacists' professional cooperative.
• Pharmakon (Danish Research and Education Institution)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPharmakon was a conference co-host and sponsor of the 13th PCNE Working Conference 2023 in Hillerod, Denmark. Pharmakon Conference Center served as the venue.
• Danish Pharmaceutical Association (Pharmadanmark)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPharmadanmark sponsored the 13th PCNE Working Conference 2023 in Hillerod, Denmark. It is the Danish pharmaceutical association representing pharmacists.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pharmaceutical-care-network-europe
• Xx.com/PcnePharm

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Pharmaceutical Care Network Europe