Studies & Degrees in Biopharmacy
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A substance that has medicinal components is regarded as pharmaceutical. Pharmaceuticals are products expected to heal illness or promote wellness. Pharmacology is the field of science that studies how drugs and natural chemicals interact with human’s biological systems or how the body reacts to it. Pharmacologists are responsible for studying the composition of drugs and how the body would react to it. A drug can heal or kill a sick or healthy person. With that said, a pharmacologist is responsible for making judgment of the drug’s suitability to the disease it is tested for. This makes pharmacology an integral player in promoting overall health. Pharmacology and Pharmacy are often mistakenly seen as similar fields, but they are not. Pharmacy is the field focusing on safe use and dissemination of approved drugs. Biopharmacy, on the other hand, is the study of biopharmaceuticals or those medical drugs produced with the aid of biotechnology or derived from life forms. These include proteins and nucleic acids that are used for therapeutic purposes among others.
Pharmacology courses are offered worldwide, where students are trained to research and study the effect of substances to human’s body system. Outcomes of researches lead to modification of existing drugs or discoveries of new ones. Pharmacology graduates are expected to work in clinical laboratories, especially during their early years of employment. This will expose them to different walks in this field, which may eventually turn them to leaders in the business – as member of top management in clinical laboratories or even as owner of clinical laboratory. They may also opt to be employed in hospitals, where they can play an integral part in clinical trials. Drug enforcement agencies are also a good venue for career seekers in this field. These agencies need pharmacologists to test and approve drugs for commercial sales and distribution. Pharmaceutical companies employ pharmacologists to work on product registration and patenting, and this is also a good career line for pharmacology graduates.
There are subspecialties under Pharmacology. These include (but are not limited to) Clinical Pharmacology, which deals with the effect of drugs on humans; Pharmacogenetics, which is responsible for testing genetic variable that may potentially lead to different responses of body to drugs; Pharmacoepidemiology, which studies the effect of drugs in large scale; and Toxicology which deals with research and study of harmful effects of drugs.
One of the major challenges in pharmaceutical industry is the compliance to quality standards and protocols. Non-conformance often results to more than just huge monetary penalties and litigation costs, but even to ceasing of operations. Drug administration and regulation agencies around the world are meticulous about following quality systems and procedures. This is in view of ensuring welfare of consumers worldwide, since any non-compliance can actually threaten the safety of patients and jeopardize the reputation of the organization. It is utmost important for the management of every pharmaceutical company to follow the set pharmaceutical quality systems and metrics, handle any requested changes or customization properly, effectively handle the communication and dissemination of any updates down the ranks, and impose constant quality consciousness to quality control departments through defined metrics. Since pharmaceutical companies provide drugs for patients’ health, they are responsible not only in making money for their private companies but for promoting real health to their country or area of responsibility.