Industrial Pharmacist

Also known as:

Pharmacist, Industrial

Introduction

About 3% of pharmacists work in industry. Industrial pharmacists are concerned with the discovery of safe and effective new drugs. They are also responsible for the overall development of new drugs, overseeing their manufacture and marketing the finished product.

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Work Activities

Pharmacy is concerned with the techniques of turning active drugs into useful medicines and with the industrial preparation and production processes used to do this. The work of pharmacists in industry is about discovering safe and effective new drugs, developing them into effective medicines, and marketing the finished product to customers.

Pharmacists also work on improving existing medicines and finding new ways of formulating old drugs. Industrial pharmacists work alongside pharmacologists, specialist chemists, microbiologists and other experts in the pharmaceutical industry.

Many industrial pharmacists work in the area of medicine formulation. This is the process of turning a basic medicinal compound into a useful product that can deliver a drug safely and effectively to the patient.

In order to find the most effective formulation of a medicine, industrial pharmacists have to rigorously check the concentration, impurity levels and stability of products. This checking is carried out throughout the production process, from the piloting stage (known as clinical trials) through to the manufacture and launch of the medicine.

Some industrial pharmacists specialise in manufacturing and production. They set up and standardise the processes used to manufacture drugs and medicines on a massive scale.

Industrial pharmacists are also employed in quality assurance. They look at the processes and raw materials involved in making a medicine and assess the final product. For example, they carry out tests to establish the shelf life and stability of a medicine.

Industrial pharmacists may work in a pharmaceutical company's registration department. Before a new or modified drug can be marketed, its prospective manufacturer must get a licence from the Department of Health. It is in the registration department that the relevant data is collected for presentation with the licence application to the Department of Health.

Some pharmacists in the pharmaceutical industry provide an information service about the company's own and its competitors' products. They use on-line databases to search medical and scientific literature. In the course of their day-to-day work, they develop detailed knowledge of a company's products. They may use this knowledge to train medical representatives and write technical literature, for example.

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Personal Qualities and Skills

Industrial pharmacists work mainly in laboratories or manufacturing/production environments. The work involves using a wide range of specialist equipment and automated systems. You will need to have strong analytical skills and be able to develop a good understanding of health and safety in the workplace.

In areas such as production or marketing, your knowledge of pharmacy needs to be complemented by good management, communication and customer liaison skills. Research is very much a team effort, so it's important to enjoy working closely with colleagues as well as making use of your scientific knowledge.

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Pay and Opportunities

Pay rates for industrial pharmacists vary depending on role and responsibilities.

The pay rates given below are approximate.

Industrial pharmacists earn in the range of £21,500 - £25,500 a year, rising to £34,000 - £45,000. Higher earners can make around £55,000 a year.

Industrial pharmacists usually work a 37.5-hour week, Monday to Friday.

Employers include major pharmaceutical companies and producers of agricultural and veterinary products.

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Adult Opportunities

It is illegal for any organisation to set age limits for entry to employment, education or training, unless they can show there is a real need to have these limits.

If you don't have the qualifications needed to enter an accredited degree in pharmacy, you might be able to start one after completing an Access course, eg, Access to Science. You don't usually need any qualifications to start an Access course, although you should check this with course providers.

Candidates can apply for funding from relevant medical charities and trusts.

• 29% of people in occupations such as industrial pharmacist work part-time.
• 7% have flexible hours.
• 11% of employees work on a temporary basis.

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