PAGB relaunches diploma for OTC industry
A training initiative that aims to help people working in the over-the-counter medicines industry communicate better with their pharmacist customers has been relaunched this week by the Proprietary
Association of Great Britain.
The PAGB’s professional learning programme leads to the organisation’s
diploma in OTC health care and has been accredited by the College of
Pharmacy Practice.
The training programme comprises four compulsory modules — introduction
to the health care industry, pharmacists and pharmacy practice, body
science and regulatory overview — and a choice of 10 elective modules
split into different clinical areas. OTC medicines are described generically
rather than by brand.
Sunayana Shah, scientific and medical affairs manager at the PAGB, said: “We
hope the programme will help in the training of industry personnel so
that they practise to a consistently high standard and will be able to
relate better to pharmacists and pharmacy staff.”
Mike Owen, director of communications and commercial affairs at the PAGB,
said that most OTC companies expected their staff to undertake some sort
of training. Altogether, 433 candidates have passed the original programme
since its launch in 1998 (96 passed with distinction). A further 148
have undertaken but failed the course.
The new course is undertaken by distance learning, comes on CD-ROM format
and takes about 50 hours to complete. |
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