The pharmaceutical industry finds, develop, manufactures, and commercializes pharmaceuticals or specialized drugs for the purpose to cure them or treat them for use as medicines to be prescribed to patients. Pharmaceutical firms can also deal in medical devices and generic drugs. The scope of pharmaceuticals is tremendous and it seems to be getting more complicated by the day. There are new drugs being developed every day which have wonderful medical properties and promise to make the world a better place.
As a result of the incredibly rapid innovations taking place in the sphere of Pharmaceuticals, it has been made easier for the drug discovery and development to take place. This is one of the major factors responsible for the increasing popularity of Pharmaceutical Engineering. Another aspect of Pharmaceutical science that is gaining prominence is drug manufacturing processes. The various methods used in the manufacturing of Pharmaceuticals are Biotechnological plants, Generic drug manufacture, small & mid term, big & complex plants, etc. These plants employ thousands of Pharmaceutical engineers who perform all sorts of tasks concerned with the manufacture of essential pharmaceutical products.
Some of the most important processes related to Pharmaceutical engineering are drug discovery, drug development, manufacturing of therapeutic proteins, metabolic synthesis, antiviral therapy, etc. All these procedures are generally undertaken by the Pharmaceutical scientists. The chief objective of the Pharmaceutical scientists is to develop and manufacture necessary medicines required for treating the diseases.
The process of drug discovery begins with understanding the entire concept and working out a feasible solution. Then comes the process of drug development where various steps are taken for its successful development. The goal of drug discovery and development is the successful development of effective medicines capable of treating the crucial diseases. During this period of time many key milestones are achieved. One such milestone is the introduction of new chemical entities into the pharmaceutical compositions.
Many therapeutic proteins or small molecules are developed by the Drug discovery teams. The next step involved in the process of drug development is the development of the manufacturing tools and process required for the commercialization of the developed products. Once the drug product has been approved for commercialization it is required to get its commercialization license. This process is known as the commercialization process. The next and very important aspect of the development of essential medicines is the control of the manufacturing processes and the medical product. Pharmaceutical professionals are well trained to deal with these aspects.
The pharmaceutical students need to have good overall management skills to deal with all these complexities. They should have the knowledge of all the subjects related to drugs and their manufacturing process. The pharmaceutical students can choose either to get a degree in Pharmaceutical engineering or any other courses related to this field. Both the options have great opportunities in this field as both provide good job opportunities. People who are interested in pursuing a career in Pharmaceuticals can opt for a PhD in Biotechnology, Nanotechnology or any other subject.
These courses provide adequate knowledge about the various sectors of pharmaceutical science. A PhD in Chemical Biology, Biochemistry or any other subject can be useful to those who are looking for a job in drug discovery. All the pharmaceutical students need to understand the basic principles of drug discovery, development and manufacturing. They should also be aware of various details about the manufacturing steps, commercialization processes and the knowledge of the various subjects like drugs, nutrition, biopharmaceutical plants and others. There are various journals and articles available which can be used by the pharmaceutical students for research purpose.
All the pharmaceutical students have to prepare scientific papers and dissertations on different topics related to pharmaceutical science. During their further studies they might be able to expand their knowledge of the subjects and also learn new techniques which can be used for developing effective medicines. With proper research work and a sound exposure to the subject, pharmaceutical engineers will be able to contribute towards the medical world positively.