50 Years European Federation for Medicinal Chemistry (EFMC) - The Ascent of Medicinal Chemistry in Europe.

A historical overview of key events that led, 50 years ago, to the foundation of the European Federation for Medicinal Chemistry (EFMC), and the impact this had on promoting and structuring medicinal chemistry as a discipline in Europe. EFMC, together with the growing number of newly established national medicinal chemistry societies or divisions, created the framework for networking and knowledge exchange. This includes organizing conferences, in particular its biennial 'International Symposium on Medicinal Chemistry (EFMC-ISMC)'. Several interesting trends can be identified from EFMC meetings, EFMC governing bodies, or the federation's recognition of scientific excellence, that highlight changes in the medicinal chemistry community over the last decades, related to affiliation, gender, young scientists, communication tools, and embracing scientific advances.