The growth in the pharmaceutical sector here has seen companies expand their operations and activities to provide a growing number of career paths

WHILE the benefits and rewards pharmaceuticals provide are huge, so too is the effort and investment that goes into developing and making a new medicine that can save lives or drastically improve people's quality of life.

By the time a new medicine reaches patients, it will typically have been in development for up to 12 years, from the initial stages of identifying and isolating molecules to three phases of testing and an ongoing phase of 'pharmacovigilance' that ensures its safety and ever-improving performance.

In Ireland, more than 24,000 people are employed in the pharmaceutical industry in roles from manufacturing to marketing and from research to patient education.

In the journey to developing and delivering a medicine, a whole range of skills and professions are involved, including chemists, researchers, doctors, engineers, marketers and machine operators. Every step of the process has to be managed carefully and adhere to strict regulations, generating many jobs in compliance, regulatory affairs and quality assurance throughout.

JOBS IN IRELAND

In Ireland, the industry is going from strength to strength as pharmaceutical companies continue to expand their operations here and add new activities such as research, finance and supply chain management.

Ireland's success in attracting biotechnology companies adds another exciting dimension to the careers on offer. Biotechnology uses biological systems or cells to make or modify products that can be used as medicines and will generate many more medicines in the future, many of which will be personalised for individual use.

The following broad categories outline some of the jobs and career opportunities currently available in the industry.

RESEARCH AND DISCOVERY

This is the starting point for a new medicine. Because many diseases still cannot be cured or because existing treatment may cause unwanted side effects, new medicines that work in different ways are constantly in demand.

Chemists, biologists, pharmacologists, IT specialists and a variety of other science disciplines work in teams to try to identify chemical compounds that might eventually become medicines.

DEVELOPMENT

Once a chemical compound has been found that could possibly work to treat the target disease, a variety of tests must be carried out to ensure that the compound can be made ona viable scale, formulated into a medicine and given to patients without causing harm. This work takes several years and involves a variety of different people, mainly scientists and engineers.

Jobs here include: analytical chemist; development chemist; process chemist; pharmacist; biologist; validation scientist; microbiologists; product development scientist; researcher; doctor; process development scientist.

CLINICAL TRIALS

To ensure the medicine works safely and effectively, it's first tested on animals before moving on to phase one trials on humans. At this stage doctors and scientists first determine the correct dose to give to human volunteers and then carry out controlled trials in patients suffering from the disease.

Jobs here include: clinical research specialist/associate; clinical monitor; clinical trials specialist; compliance specialist; laboratory technician; documentation and compliance scientist; regulatory affairs officer/manager; quality assurance specialist; validation specialist; quality and compliance specialist; medical scientist; formulation scientist; doctor; nurse.

MANUFACTURING

Manufacturing the medicine involves making the chemical compound and then mixing it with other substances to make a tablet, cream or aerosol. Safety and quality assurance is paramount, demanding constant vigilance and careful controls at every step.

Scientists, engineers, IT specialists and many others are involved at both stages. Jobs here include: process development chemist; quality control analyst/supervisor; environmental operator; science technician; pharmaceutical technician; chemistry laboratory technician; biology laboratory technician; quality control lab technician; medical laboratory technician; environmental officer/technician; health and safety advisor; production and operations specialist.

ENGINEERING

Engineers do everything from designing and commissioning new machinery (and the buildings to house it) to maintaining and managing production.

Jobs here include: process and project engineer; quality assurance systems co-ordinator; chemical engineer; production engineer; mechanical engineer; physics laboratory technician; validation officer; production operator; validation engineer.

REGULATORY AFFAIRS/MARKETING AUTHORISATION

Scientists in regulatory affairs draw together information on tests that have been carried out on the drug substance and use this to apply for permission to carry out clinical trials and market the medicine.

Jobs here include: regulatory affairs specialist/ manager; quality and regulatory affairs engineer; research scientist; process development chemist; formulation scientist; pharmacist.

SALES AND MARKETING/HEALTH PROMOTION

Researching and developing new medicines would not be sustainable if doctors were not aware of new medicines and what they can do for patients, both by providing new solutions and improving existing ones. Educating physicians and patients on new developments and treatments therefore plays a vital role.

Medical sales representatives visit hospitals and GPs' surgeries to inform doctors about the benefits of the new medicines their companies produce.

Jobs here include: marketing manager; medical sales representatives/specialists; hospital sales representative/ specialist; communications specialists.

Sponsored by the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association (IPHA)

The IPHA represents the international research-based pharmaceutical industry in Ireland. Its members include both manufacturers of prescription medicines and non-prescription or consumer health care medicines.

www.ipha.ie