Betamethasone, erythromycinbase, cefpiramide, lactobacillus brevis cd2, lovastatin ep, amoxicillin, clavulanate potassium and methotrexate. All of us have come across these names sometime or the other. Pharmaceutical products such as these are available for health problems like cardiovascular disease, cancer, high blood pressure, asthma, diabetes, cholesterol and neurological disorders.

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The manufactured products include bulk drugs, formulations and other healthcare products. Several companies are also developing new drugs and formulations. Globalisation of products has caused a major revolution in the pharma industry. There is a demand for manpower in the areas of product profiling, product positioning, product improvement and product promotion.

Research and development groups alone no longer drive the value of a new product. Sales and marketing teams have always played a role in a product’s success. Considering the financial impact of today’s brands, senior executives of every pharmaceutical company analyse a product’s marketing, sales and investment implications.

• What do I have to do?

Pharmaceutical product managers co-ordinate and oversee all aspects of medical products — from research funding to product advertising. Their responsibilities include pharmaceutical marketing, new product planning, commercial strategy development, brand planning, pharmaceutical product launching and myriad other aspects to maximise the value of pharmaceutical assets. They help pharma sales personnel by providing them with a product profile, advise those in marketing about the correct placement of the product in the market and make scientific presentations of the product to medical professionals.

Pharmaceutical product managers define new products and gather market requirements for new product development, create business cases and presentations for executive approval. Their work includes product set-up and training tools implementation (product demo accounts, passwords, product manuals). They are also involved in product positioning, monitoring the development of business plans, overseeing market research, monitoring competitive activity and identifying customer needs.

Pharmaceutical product managers are required to establish pricing strategies, interface with engineering, manufacturing and sales to develop new products or enhance existing products or product lines. At times they also have to act as technical advisors for specific products.

Due to rapid expansion, the pharmaceutical industry offers an interesting and exciting place to work, as professionals in this field build and execute a strategic brand plan and create unique, actionable customer insights.

• What should I study?

The minimum eligibility for the course is a BSc, a BPharm, an MBBS or a degree in management. You should have basic knowledge of pharmacy business practices in various markets. For admission to BPharm courses, you should have passed the Plus Two examination with physics, chemistry and biology from a recognised board, securing at least 50 per cent aggregate in the three subjects. Some institutes like the Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani, accept candidates who have completed Plus Two with physics, chemistry and maths. However, admission to the BPharm course is on the basis of your performance in the entrance examination.

• What next?

India’s pharmaceutical industry is one of the major growing economic sectors in India, which requires funds, infrastructure, research and development, management and human resources for further development.

New product launches, competition, brand extensions, drug quality, clinical trials, a growing market, stringent regulatory issues, price control and rapid changes in technology are just a few of the challenges faced by the pharma industry. Professionally qualified managerial and entrepreneurial talent is required to handle all this.

Employment opportunities exist in marketing and consulting services in the spheres of sales promotion, sales, drug stores, retail, wholesale distribution, product management, marketing management information, data management, methodology and processes.

Pharmaceutical companies also require public relations officers with a pharma background and managerial skills.

There is a lot of scope in research and development for new drug discovery, process development, formulations and development, natural products research and immunology.

Sources: The Telegraph (Kolkata, India)