Be the tech pill for pharma sector

Usha Albuquerque

Every day we hear about a new drug or medicine being developed. Today we have a drug for practically every disease, or are in the process of developing drugs to alleviate all diseases known to man. With the complexities of medicine and the thousands of drugs being developed and dispensed every day doctors and the general public have come to rely quite heavily on the specialised knowledge of pharmacists.

Pharmaceutical Engineering/Technology is a broad field connected to the process of designing, producing, and marketing pharmaceuticals. Pharmaceutical engineers are concerned with the transformation of raw materials into valuable products by chemical, biochemical or physical processes. Basically, this is a field of chemical engineering and pharmaceutical engineers utilise the concept of both biology and biochemistry to design, develop, and manufacture pharmaceutical drugs. They work alongside chemists and pharmacists to research and develop active pharmaceutical ingredients, and then formulate it into the product that a patient takes. Chemical and pharmaceutical engineering overlaps with other branches of engineering, as well as with chemistry and biochemistry. This blend of subject material and emphasis on a broad range of physical and chemical processes makes it a distinct and unique discipline. The other branches of Pharmaceutical Technology include: pharmaceutical formulation, pharmaceutical manufacturing, dispensing pharmacy, physical pharmacy and pharmaceutical jurisprudence.

Getting in

There are only a limited number of institutes that offer an undergraduate degree (BE/BTech/BSc) in pharmaceutical science and technology; so many youngsters enter the field at the moment with a chemical or industrial engineering degree.

The minimum eligibility for undergraduate programmes (BE/BTech/BSc) in pharmaceutical science and technology/ pharmaceutical engineering is Plus II with physics, chemistry, and mathematics as mandatory subjects. For admission to postgraduate programmes (ME/MTech/MSc), you would require a bachelor's degree in the relevant subject from a recognised university. Those interested can continue their studies after MTech in research work in the relevant field.

There are many different skills that a pharmaceutical engineer must possess, including a thorough understanding of the technical aspects of the work and of product development, manufacturing systems, quality control, compliance with regulations and production plants /equipment safety. You also need critical thinking and analytical skills, and an ability to design, maintain and operate highly specialised technology.

Job prospects

With more and more pharma companies taking to R&D there are ample growth opportunities for pharmaceutical engineers. They can work in manufacturing, as drug inspectors, drug analysts, pharmacology experts, production managers, and quality managers in government departments, research institutes and with pharmaceutical companies.

Most private pharmaceutical companies have their own research laboratories and recruit pharmaceutical technologists for carrying out research and development of drugs, and for conducting testing and clinical trials and quality control before the drugs are released in the market. These include companies like Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, Ranbaxy Laboratories, Cipla, Cadila Pharmaceuticals, Novartis India, Astra Zenecca and others. Food and drink companies and cosmetic manufacturing companies also employ pharmaceutical engineers to work in manufacturing, R & D and quality control.

There is also scope with government institutes and organisations involved in research and development of drugs and formulations, regulation of their quality, prices etc. These include institutes such as Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI) Lucknow; National Chemical Laboratory, Pune; Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR); Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, (IICT) Hyderabad; Central Drug Standards Control Organisation (CDSCO); National Pharma-Co-Vigilance Centre; The Department of Pharmacology, AIIMS, New Delhi; National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER); and Indian Medicines Pharmaceutical Corporation limited. (IMPCL).

Pharma engineers can also join Government as Drugs Inspectors in the area of regulatory affairs. This involves the licensing and inspection of medicines and their manufacture to ensure efficacy, safety and quality. Other opportunities for graduates in pharmaceutical sciences include teaching and academics.

The Indian pharmaceutical industry is growing in size and credibility. Not only do we export pharmaceuticals at cheaper prices to more than 200 countries, including USA, Russia, Germany, United Kingdom and Brazil, but India is also the leading supplier of AIDS drugs to the world. There is also a huge investment being made in setting up R & D laboratories for development of new drugs, for testing and contract research, all of which will require qualified pharmaceutical professionals.

So if you have the interest and the skills required for the career, there is scope for tremendous growth, both in the Indian market and globally.

The writer is Director, Careers Smart Pvt