Creating drugs_An article by Ulhas Dhuppad

Today’s Education Times, Mumbai Edition has an article written by Ulhas Dhuppad, executive vice president, research and development, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Limited, on the scope of a career in this field and recent trends in the industry.

 

The Indian pharmaceutical industry has been witnessing a steady growth in recent years, driven by rising consumption levels in the country and strong demand from export markets. With an estimated market size of around $20 billion, it is currently the third largest in volume and 10th largest in terms of value. Factors like rising household income levels, increasing prevalence of lifestyle related diseases, improving healthcare infrastructure delivery systems, rising penetration in smaller towns and rural areas ensures a long-term sustainable growth for the sector.

CAREER SCOPE:

The pharma industry is not only growing at a rapid pace, but is also moving towards specialising in a number of fields. Students, who complete a course in this field and are interested in drug discovery as a career, can pursue higher studies or can work in the fields of medicinal chemistry, organic chemistry, pharmacology, biotechnology, pharmacology, veterinary and toxicology, pharmaceutics, pharmaceutical analysis and chemistry.

SKILLS SET:

Aspirants must have keen interest in research and basic knowledge of IP, patent, regulatory affairs, etc. Apart from this, professionals must also be innovative, patient and be willing to work for hours at a stretch.

INDUSTRY STATUS:

The pharma industry is knowledge-based and hence, there are a number of opportunities for qualified individuals to make a mark in this high growth sector. Research and development (R&D) is an important part of the pharmaceutical industry. Indian companies are slowly but steadily increasing their investment on R&D, creating a larger number of job opportunities for professionals in this field. R&D activities in this sector comprise creative work which is undertaken on a systematic basis in order to promote the search of new molecules, synthesis and modification of known molecules, developing them to make safe and efficacious, some methods to increase productivity. Professionals in this field can undertake research in three key areas ­ new drug discovery research, API process development and formulation development of generic and novel drug delivery systems.

NEW TRENDS:

Drug discovery is a process through which potential new medicines are identified and developed. This practice is gaining popularity globally. It involves a wide range of scientific disciplines, including in vitro biology, in vivo biology, toxicology, drug metabolism, pharmaco-kinetics, chemistry and pharmacology. Innovation leading to new drugs is vital to meet medical needs. In India, unfortunately, only a few companies are engaged in drug discovery research. However, globally, the scope for this area of research is good. A number of Indian companies are also developing and manufacturing generics or off-patent drugs.