Support functions
As with all large organisations, pharmaceutical companies need an infrastructure to run them.
Within the pharmaceutical industry there are many people who are there to support the work of the scientists and manufacturers.
For example:
- Legal expertsÌýcarry outÌývarious important roles. TheseÌýinclude ensuring that appropriate patents are taken out for the structure and synthesis of specific molecules as well asÌýgenerating contracts for suppliers. Please see theÌýPatenting pageÌýfor more information on this role in industry.
- StatisticiansÌýare involved at all stages, from ensuring that the animal studies willÌýproduce valid results, to monitoring process controls. For more information, please visit theÌýStatisticians page.
- Regulatory affairsÌýpull together all the information that is needed for a medicine to be approved for marketing. For more information, please see theÌýRegulatory Affairs page.
In addition to these,Ìýevery large company needs departments such asÌýHuman Resources,ÌýTraining & Development,ÌýITÌý²¹²Ô»åÌýFinance.
To work in finance you need an analytical mind, an eye for detail and the ability to work with large amounts of information and data.
A human resources (HR) career in a large pharmaceutical company can be a wonderful journey into a number of different roles and business areas each with similar yet distinct needs.
Information technology (IT) gives our work a flexibility that would have been unimaginable a few years ago and access to much more information.
One of the best ways to improve a business is to raise the capability of its people. And there's no better means of achieving this than through training and development.