The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 280 No 7487 p120
2 February 2008

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• Clarke Inquiry (2)
• New professional body
• The Society (2)
• Community pharmacy (2)
• Pharmacy practice
• Technicians
• The industry
• WCPPE
• Drug addiction
• Research

Letters to the Editor

The industry

Medical affairs an attractive option for pharmacists

From Dr I. V. Wood, MRPharmS

I have read with interest a number of recent letters regarding the decline in the number of pharmacists working within the industry sector and, at the same time, the debate pertaining to the potential role and remit of the General Pharmaceutical Council.

It seems a widely held view that the training and orientation of pharmacists is, in general, becoming increasingly clinical. This has been cited as one reason for the decreasing number of pharmacists in industry and equally the probable focus of the GPhC on those clinical pharmacists and the simultaneous potential to overlook their industrial counterparts.

Indeed, I have seen a number of recent references to the small numbers of the profession working in typical posts for industrial pharmacists, such as regulatory affairs, medical information, drug safety, quality assurance, and research and development.

I would like to highlight a different field within the industry, perhaps less well known by pharmacists, which is that of medical affairs. Such roles have been traditionally occupied by physicians yet today an increasing number of pharmacists hold such positions.

In my view, the arena of medical affairs can be an attractive option for pharmacists who have expert clinical knowledge, which may be complemented by scientific training, eg, a PhD.

The remit of a medical affairs department includes but is not limited to: providing medical insight into the disease area, knowledge of treatment patterns and unmet clinical needs, knowledge of the healthcare system, critical appraisal of clinical trial data and ensuring that activities of the company are in the interests of patients.

Interestingly, the most recent update to the ABPI Code of Practice in 2006 contained a change of particular importance for pharmacists allowing, for the first time, pharmacists under certain circumstances to act as signatories for the medical review and approval of scientific and promotional material.

Thus, it is not difficult to begin to draw parallels with the greater use of pharmacist’s clinical expertise, increase in multidisciplinary working and development of the pharmacist’s role both in the pharmaceutical industry as well as in the clinical setting.

This not only underscores a relatively new career domain for pharmacists, but also suggests that there may be a compelling reason for the scope of the GPhC to include industrial pharmacists: in many cases their work relies on their clinical knowledge and expertise and for those who acquire medical “signatory” status, professional registration is currently mandatory.

Ian Wood
Newark, Nottinghamshire

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