Pharmaceutical Industry Overview

Pharmaceutical Industry Overview

• The pharmaceutical industry involves the manufacturing, and sale of medicines.
• It encompasses cosmetics, traditional medicines (including indigenous medicine and homeopathic medicine), and pharmaceuticals.

Cosmetics

• Cosmetics are substances or preparations intended for contact with the human body's external surfaces.
• This includes the epidermis, hair, nails, lips, external genitals, teeth, and oral mucous membranes.
• The primary function is cleaning, perfuming, altering appearance, correcting body odor, or protecting/maintaining good condition.

Traditional Medicines

• Traditional medicines are products used in indigenous medicine systems.
• These medicines typically consist solely of naturally occurring substances (from plants, animals, or minerals or their parts)
• These substances might be unextracted or in crude extract form, or included in homeopathic medicine.

Pharmaceuticals

• Pharmaceuticals are medicines.
• They have brand names and/or proprietary names (assigned by the company).
• They also have generic or non-proprietary names (the active ingredient's scientific name, assigned by international committees).

Brand Names

• Brand names assigned to a medicine by the manufacturing pharmaceutical company.
• Often also called the medicine's proprietary name.
• Pharmaceutical companies hold patents to the brand-name medicine for up to 20 years to sell the drug, e.g., MHRA.

Generic Names

• Generic names refer to the active ingredient.
• Determined by an expert committee.
• Also known as the non-proprietary name.
• Used internationally.
• Once the patent expires, other companies can produce the medication using the generic name which is usually cheaper.

Roles of Pharmacists in the Pharmaceutical Industry

Research and Development

• Pharmacists contribute to research and formulation development.
• Expertise in formulation development is significant for biological availability, meaning how well the active ingredient is absorbed and used by the body.

Manufacturing and Quality Assurance

• Pharmacists' deep knowledge ensures a comprehensive, integrated approach to quality assurance
• This involves validation of various production stages and testing before release, also including Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP).

Drug Information

• Pharmacists provide detailed information about medicines to healthcare professionals and the public.
• Their role includes providing information services to company members.

Patent Applications and Drug Registration

• Pharmacists are essential in understanding and collating diverse information for patent and authorization submissions.

Clinical Trials and Post-marketing Surveillance

• Pharmacists' expertise in drugs and healthcare provision facilitate collaboration between companies, healthcare professionals, and governmental bodies.
• This collaboration is crucial for clinical trials as well as for post-marketing surveillance.

Sales and Marketing

• Pharmacists play a role in sales and marketing practices by prioritizing patient concerns.
• They ensure appropriate processes related to marketing of health care, and provision of correct information to healthcare professionals and consumers.

Management

• Pharmacist involvement in all levels of management encourages ethical managerial policies.

Specific Pharmaceutical Industry Roles:

Production Manager

• Must be a pharmacist.
• Possesses knowledge of Good Manufacturing Practice.
• Prepares manufacturing schedules.
• Ensures workflows, adhering to Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
• Maintains and records all processes.
• Ensures production quality, and no errors (e.g., raw material handling, weighing accuracy, and label reconciliation).

Quality Control Manager

• Reporting to top management.
• Ensuring quality across raw materials, water, air, etc.
• Expertise in various analytical methods necessary.
• Monitoring quality.
• Conducting stability studies, testing for microbial contamination, and detecting heavy metal levels.

Regulatory Manager

• Involved in registration of new and existing products.
• Adheres to regulatory requirements (e.g., licensing and Adverse Drug Reactions reports).
• Ensures product registration harmonization across countries and regions.

Research Scientist

• Roles in problem-solving, new formulations, new dosage forms, and improvements to ingredient stability.
• Example tasks include synthesis of new compounds, isolation and purification of active principles, cultivation of medicinal plants, standardization of drugs, and toxicology of new drugs.

Sales

• Requires good product knowledge, strong communication skills and outgoing personality to successfully market products.
• Performance-based compensation common.

Marketing

• Develops strategies for product marketing, including planning product launches.
• Positioning the products, to whom the products are marketed, and package design and advertisement strategies.

Explore the diverse categories within the pharmaceutical industry, including cosmetics, traditional medicines, and pharmaceuticals. This quiz covers the key components, functions, and purposes of each category. Test your knowledge on how these products interact with human health and well-being.