Before we explore what pharma research entails, let us get a brief understanding of the pharmaceutical industry. So, what are the activities of the pharma industry? The pharmaceutical industry is responsible for the development, production and marketing of drugs which are licensed for use as medications. Pharmaceutical companies are subject to a number of laws and regulations with regard to the patenting, testing and marketing of drugs.
What is pharmaceutical research?
Prior to releasing a new drug into the market, a lot of research and development activities are carried out at a research centre. These activities are generally referred to as pharmaceutical research.
Pharmaceutical research mainly comprises of
Drug Discovery: This is the process in which potential drugs are discovered or designed. In the old days, drug discovery happened by isolating the active ingredient from traditional remedies or by good old-fashion accidental discovery. However, current biotechnology involves understanding the metabolic pathways related to a disease state or pathogen. This is followed by manipulating these pathways using molecular biology.
Today a lot of early-stage drug discovery is carried out by universities and research institutions.
Drug Development: This refers to activities that are carried out following the identification of a compound as a potential drug in order to establish its suitability as a medication. The objectives of drug development include determining the appropriate formulation as well as dosage. Also checking out the safety of the drug is a critical function. The research activities conducted at this stage include a combination of in vitro studies, in vivo studies, and clinical trials.
Whom does the research and development team comprise?
The research and development team at a pharmaceutical company comprises of both researchers and scientists. The researcher’s role involves looking at a problem and coming up with specific insights with regard to it. The researcher will do a background study and find as much information about that particular disease. He will also look at the existing methods of treatment of that disease and its shortcomings. On the other hand, the scientist will use the information to develop a set of solutions for that particular disease. The role of the scientist is typically technical in nature and involves a lot of experimentation.
Thus we can conclude by saying that pharmaceutical research plays a very important role in helping treat diseases.
Pharmaceutical companies India more concentrate on pharma R&D along with drug manufacturing.
Nov 20, 2011
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