Sonia Patel, 27, industrial pharmacist, Pfizer
“I’d planned to work as a community or hospital pharmacist, but changed my mind after meeting some industrial pharmacists at a conference. They told me about the things I could do in this industry and I was immediately attracted to it. I completed my masters in pharmacy and joined Pfizer in 2002, training for a year as a preregistration pharmacist. I qualified and have been with the company ever since.
“I’m a formulation scientist and work in the laboratory developing solid formulations (tablets and capsules) to take through to Phase 2 human clinical trials. It takes about 15 years to get from the stage where a new molecule is discovered, to bringing a new medicine to the marketplace and making it available to patients. I’m involved in the first four years of a new molecule’s life.
“Medicines are developed through a series of carefully controlled phases of human clinical trials, which best determine the safety and efficacy of each new drug by applying the highest scientific standards. The first phase of each of these trials involves a small number of healthy subjects. This gives us an idea of how the drug performs in the body. Phase 2 trials involve several hundred people who are suffering from the condition that the mole-Administration, are involved throughout.
“The most important thing about my job is that I enjoy it so much. It’s an opportunity for me to apply and develop my skills and to work to improve and benefit people’s lives. Admittedly, the chances of success are slim. Very few compounds make it through the laboratory, clinical testing and getting a licence to be prescribed (up to seven million molecules are screened, leading to one commercial launch). But the possibility of succeeding is exciting, as well as being a strong motivation.
Advertisement
“It’s also about the people I work with. I work alongside first-class researchers and world-renowned experts who are at the forefront of cutting-edge science and leading medical technology, and I learn a great deal from them every day. It’s also a truly global industry. The people I work with are from a variety of cultures and academic backgrounds and I feel fortunate to cule is going to treat, and Phase 3 trials involve several thousand people who will help to confirm the results of earlier studies and gather information for us about the efficacy and safety of the medicine. Regulatory bodies, such as the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency and the US Food and Drugs work among them.”
A second opinion
James Wood, 25, community pharmacist, Wicker Pharmacy, Sheffield
“I think of myself as a ‘signposter’ – giving patients advice about what specialists to see if they’re not sure what their condition is. We see a lot of people for prescriptions, of course, but these days we have technical help: we scan the prescription and a machine does the rest. It makes life easier and frees up time to spend with patients.
“We get referrals from NHS Direct and other medical professionals, and we give advice to care homes and nursing homes on things such as training staff on how to look after medication and how to store it. We also provide sexual health services, such as tests for chlamydia, giving advice to young girls about the morning-after pill, and dispensing it if needed, as well as giving information on safe sex.
Advertisement
“The profession is much more structured than it was and provides a complete service. Tests are available for blood pressure, diabetes and H.pylori (a stomach bug), and they’re all done in the pharmacy. Sometimes we’re the only health contact people have and those who may not have registered with a GP, such as some immigrants, will come to us. We’ve also been busy since the smoking ban, offering a stop-smoking service.
“We cater for drug users, too; there’s a needle exchange here and people come to take methadone under supervision. We have a separate entrance that gives some privacy and allows us to be more specific about what sort of advice to give them. I really like the public health aspect and I play a big role in some people’s lives.
“Looking ahead, I want to go on a prescribing course and set up a clinic. This would qualify me to prescribe for certain illnesses, such as asthma, and would mean working closely with a doctor to manage a condition.
“A large part of my role is as a manager. I get involved in training, recruitment, marketing, and so on. There’s a whole host of things to do; it’s not just about science.”