The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations is the global non-profit NGO representing the research-based pharmaceutical, biotech and vaccine sectors. Its members comprise 25 leading international companies and 45 national and regional industry associations covering developed and developing countries. The industry’s R&D pipeline contains hundreds of new medicines and vaccines being developed to address global disease threats, including cancer, heart disease, HIV/AIDS and malaria. The IFPMA Clinical Trials Portal (www.ifpma.org/ClinicalTrials), the IFPMA’s Ethical Promotion online resource (www.ifpma.org/EthicalPromotion) and its Developing World Health Partnerships information (www.ifpma.org/HealthPartnerships) help make the industry’s activities more transparent. The IFPMA strengthens patient safety by improving risk assessment of medicines and combating their counterfeiting. It also provides the secretariat for the International Conference on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH).

The main objectives of the IFPMA are:
* to encourage a global policy environment that is conducive to innovation in medicine, both therapeutic and preventative, for the benefit of patients around the world;
* to contribute industry expertise and foster collaborative relationships and partnerships with international organizations, national institutions, governments and non-governmental organizations that are dedicated to the improvement of public health, especially in developing and emerging countries;
* to assure regular contact and experience-sharing and coordinate the efforts of its members towards the realisation of the above objectives.

IFPMA has been granted consultative status with the United Nations and international organizations such as the World Health Organization, (WHO), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the World Bank, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the Council of Europe.