Yogyakarta, 22 September 2026 – Four undergraduate students from the Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), who competed as Team B19 of BEM KMFA UGM, achieved several awards at the 2nd Edition of the Rx Tournament, organized by the International Pharmaceutical Students’ Federation (IPSF). The team members are Hanindita Nafisa Sudiarso (24/541975/FA/14515), Audita Zahra Amalia (24/539874/FA/14485), Gilbrania Claudiahrahma Azkanova (24/541737/FA/14508), and Zefanya Bindy Sugiarto (24/542587/FA/14533).
The 2nd Edition of the Rx Tournament is a pharmaceutical competition designed to assess students’ knowledge and skills across several categories, including the Compounding Event (CE), Clinical Skills Event (CSE), Industrial Skills Event (ISE), Patient Counselling Event (PCE), and Pharmacy Profession Awareness Campaign (PPAC). The competition brought together pharmacy students from various countries and universities. In the preliminary round, participants completed an online assessment consisting of 50 questions. Out of 35 registered teams, five teams were selected to advance to the final round.
The five finalist teams represented various institutions and pharmacy student organizations. They included Team B5 from BEM KMFA UGM, Indonesia; Team B19 from BEM KMFA UGM, Indonesia; Team B8 from PANS, Nigeria; Team B11 from MyPSA, Malaysia; and Team B30, a collaborative team comprising students from FoP Nepal, MyPSA Malaysia, BEM FF UNAIR Indonesia, and BEM KMFA UGM Indonesia.
In the final round, all teams were presented with a case study involving Mr. Jericho S. Martin, a 45-year-old male patient with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes mellitus. The case also involved several other health conditions, including hypertension, dyslipidemia, obesity, bipolar disorder, and early symptoms of peripheral neuropathy. The patient’s clinical data included a blood pressure of 165/90 mmHg, an HbA1c level of 9.0%, a fasting blood glucose level of 12.8 mmol/L, and microalbuminuria.
Based on the case study, participants took part in a series of Final Round Events designed to assess their ability to apply pharmaceutical knowledge and skills in an integrated manner. In the Compounding Event (CE), participants addressed pharmaceutical compounding tasks, including ingredient calculations, the application of the geometric dilution technique, and the selection of appropriate equipment for the compounding process.
In the Clinical Skills Event (CSE), participants were required to analyze the patient’s condition and prepare a SOAP Note as the basis for developing pharmaceutical care. The proposed care plan included pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment recommendations, the identification of monitoring parameters, patient counselling, and follow-up planning.
Meanwhile, the Industrial Skills Event (ISE) focused on developing a health software concept to support the long-term management of chronic diseases. Participants designed features for both patients and healthcare professionals, developed mobile and desktop interface designs, mapped out system workflows, and considered the implementation of the software in resource-limited settings.
The Patient Counselling Event (PCE) assessed participants’ ability to communicate with and provide counselling to patients through a simulated pharmaceutical care video. Meanwhile, the Pharmacy Profession Awareness Campaign (PPAC) challenged participants to develop a campaign highlighting the role of pharmacists in supporting patients with chronic diseases. The campaign emphasized that pharmacists’ contributions extend beyond dispensing medicines to include various aspects of pharmaceutical care that support therapeutic outcomes and improve patients’ quality of life.
Through these competition events, Team B19 achieved several accomplishments. The team secured second place in both the Compounding Event (CE) and Clinical Skills Event (CSE), third place in the Pharmacy Profession Awareness Campaign (PPAC), and finished as fourth-place finalists in the Patient Counselling Event (PCE) and fifth-place finalists in the Industrial Skills Event (ISE).
Team B19’s participation in the 2nd Edition of the Rx Tournament also contributes to the development of pharmaceutical competencies in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The development of clinical skills, patient counselling, and chronic disease management supports SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being, while the development of health software and the use of technology in healthcare are relevant to SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure. Educational activities and increased awareness of the pharmacy profession also contribute to SDG 4: Quality Education through competency-based learning. In addition, the participation of students in an international competition involving institutions from different countries reflects SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals, particularly through collaboration and knowledge exchange in pharmaceutical education.
The achievements demonstrate the students’ ability to integrate pharmaceutical knowledge with compounding, clinical, patient communication, technological, and teamwork skills. Team B19’s achievements at the 2nd Edition of the Rx Tournament are expected to enrich the students’ learning experiences while encouraging other UGM pharmacy students to continue developing their competencies and participating in academic activities and pharmaceutical competitions at both national and international levels.
