Pharmacists are the trusted health resource for the whole family, goes a saying. The pharmaceutical sector holds an exciting and fast-moving career for those who have a desire to help people improve the quality of their health and possess an ability to communicate clearly and effectively.


Nowadays, pharmacy as a field has twin scope: as a service and as a product. A pharmacist can work in the service industry as well as in manufacturing and production, says Dr Rachna Kumaria, director of a pharmacy training institute.


Work Opportunities
A pharmacist can be involved in the production of bulk drugs and intermediates or formulations and dosage forms. Cosmetics and toiletries manufacturing units for dental care industries also hire pharmacy professionals. Production also includes biotechnological products, medical devices and equipments, perfumery, nutraceuticals etc.


According to Dr Gopal Munjal, managing director, Ind-Swift Pharmaceuticals Ltd, the output of the Indian pharmaceutical industry is fourth in terms of volume and 13th in terms of value and around 8 per cent of the world’s drugs are manufactured in India. According to a McKinsey study, the Indian pharmaceutical industry is projected to grow to US $ 25 billion by 2010 and the domestic market will triple to US $ 20 billion by 2015 to become one of the leading sectors in the next decade.


The industrial research and development departments need many Ph.D and M.Pharma students. Discovering a new drug is of prime importance with the options of developing viable processes for manufacturing it and its formulation in dosage forms. There is also a wide scope in clinical research for clinical trials, bioequivalence studies and toxicological studies.
The most exciting and rewarding career in the pharmacy industry is in sales and marketing. A pharmacy graduate with the additional qualification of an MBA can become a professional sales representative or medical representative (MR), reaching up to the international level of marketing and exports.


In the service industry, a pharmacy student can join community pharmacy, hospital pharmacy, public health service, the armed services etc. There is a huge demand of pharmacy professionals in the government sector as drug inspectors, health inspectors, research officers, drug therapists, chemical/ drug technicians etc.