There is growing interest among pharmacists in pharmaceutical industry jobs. That’s because some pharmacists are overworked and burned out. In addition, there is a decrease in the job outlook for pharmacists as retail pharmacies go online. Over recent years, there has been a rampant expansion in the number of pharmacy schools leading to a very competitive environment for pharmacy positions. The pharmaceutical industry offers a non-traditional career path for PharmD graduates. Here, we answer some common questions about pharmaceutical industry jobs for pharmacists. These include what type of work pharmacists do, and importantly, how to get a position.
What jobs could pharmacists look for in the pharmaceutical industry?
Medical information specialists
Consumers and health care providers sometimes need information about a drug product or they need to register a complaint. Therefore, pharmaceutical and biotech companies receive phone calls and emails associated with drug products. These calls and emails are routed to medical information specialists. They manage the call centers and write response letters typically for the region in which they are located. Medical information specialists keep track of the contact log and provide answers to questions. Standard medical response letters are frequently used, but there are times when a custom response is required. Medical information specialists, as well as medical directors, also may serve as the medical representative in the medical, legal, and regulatory review process for promotional content. A PharmD is usually required for this position.
Medical content generation
Pharmaceutical and biotech companies need to present their clinical trial data and prescribing information to scientists, healthcare providers, and consumers. Thus, they hire specialists in medical content generation to create scientific and medical content that is in an easy-to-understand format. Communication materials generated include PowerPoint slides, brochures, scientific posters, or even websites and social media, depending on the role and the audience. Importantly, having a PharmD can be an asset for a role in medical content generation. These positions may be internal or at a medical communications agency that works with pharmaceutical companies.
Medical Science Liaisons
Clinical trials run by pharmaceutical and biotech companies often involve physicians and researchers across multiple continents. Medical Science Liaisons communicate to physicians the science of investigational compounds or investigational uses of therapies. They are often involved in recruiting physicians to participate in clinical trials or facilitating investigator-initiated studies. Medical Science Liaisons typically have PharmD, PhD, or MD backgrounds. Learn more about Medical Science Liaisons in our highlight here.
Sales Representative
Pharmaceutical companies need to get their drug products to the patients that need them. Sales reps communicate the on-label use of therapies to health care providers. Learn more about a sales rep’s day-to-day life in our Q&A with a sales professional here.
Market Access
Pharmaceutical companies need market access specialists who understand the payer landscape for a particular drug and/or indication. These specialists work with payers to inform them on new therapies or new indications, given the context of the current therapies on the market. In addition, they may work with other professionals within the pharmaceutical company to generate data to support the use of the therapy in different disease settings. Moreover, they may help monitor the use of drug products over time.
Health Economics and Outcomes Research (HEOR)
Private insurers and government payers make decisions about drug coverage that are informed by cost effectiveness and budget impact. Therefore, pharmaceutical companies employ health economists and outcomes researchers to generate evidence to understand the use of different therapies in various disease settings, patients’ outcomes, and the cost of therapies. This work often entails utilizing real world data and evaluating insurance claims databases. Several HEOR fellowships exist for PharmD’s looking to transition into the field (e.g., Thomas Jefferson University and the University of Washington).
Marketing
Marketing specialists help the pharmaceutical company achieve its business goals by developing brands. Pharmaceutical marketing involves creating brand strategies, working on messaging and position, defining the targeted customer segments, and charting out the sales and expenses for each brand. In addition to developing brand strategies, marketing specialists also develop marketing materials that include product-related medical information. Physicians and other healthcare providers rely on such information to make important clinical decisions on therapies for their patients. Check out our highlight on a Marketing professional here.
Clinical Scientist
Pharmaceutical companies need to test their investigational drugs in clinical trials to demonstrate efficacy and safety prior to applying for market authorization. Clinical scientists, who typically have MD, PhD, and PharmD backgrounds, design the clinical trials. They write the clinical trial protocols, investigator brochures, and other trial materials. They monitor the clinical trial progress as well as adverse events that occur in trial patients. For more on the important impact of clinical scientists, see our highlight here.
Medical writing
Pharmaceutical companies operate under many regulations (e.g., Good Manufacturing Practice regulations, GMP). Documentation is critical to the company’s operation and business. Medical writers and other technical writers are responsible for a variety of documents. In particular, medical writers work primarily on regulatory documents, such as Investigational New Drug applications, Biologics Licence Applications, Clinical Protocols, and more.
Pharmaceutical Quality
Pharmaceutical companies employ pharmaceutical quality specialists to ensure that they manufacture drug products that are of acceptable and consistent quality. These specialists design a set of procedures that monitor compliance to controls and quality standards. They also document deviations, employ corrective and preventive actions, and work on risk mitigation strategies. Check out a guest post from a PharmD about her job in pharmaceutical quality.
How do pharmacists get new jobs in the pharmaceutical industry?
There are many entry points into the industry for people with a PharmD degree. First, a fellowship program or a rotational program at a pharmaceutical company can be an option. Usually, these programs will accept applications at a designated time and will have a specific start date and end date for participants. You can find information about available fellowships on the career sites of different pharmaceutical companies. Some pharmacy schools are more oriented to pharmaceutical positions than others and may already have fellowship programs associated with the school.
Here are some examples of pharmaceutical company fellowships for pharmacists:
- BMS PharmD Fellowship Program
- Biogen PharmD Fellowship
- Pharmaceutical Industry and Education Fellowship Program
Another strategy to transition into a pharmaceutical job is with relevant experience. For example, you can gain relevant experience by working in a temporary contract position. Pharmaceutical companies will often hire contractors for a designated length of time to support a specific project. An additional option is to work for an agency that has contracts with pharmaceutical companies. Sometimes, the entry requirements are easier to meet for agencies. Moreover, you can gain valuable experience that is applicable to the pharmaceutical industry. If you cannot arrange a fellowship program, at the very least a less formal internship can provide valuable experience and networking opportunities to get to the next step.
Many PharmDs who work in hospital pharmacies are directly hired into roles in pharma. Hospital pharmacists have more opportunities to interact with pharmaceutical companies and also gain relevant work experience that is attractive to hiring managers in pharmaceutical companies. For example, they can gain exposure to pharmaceutical companies by participating in advisory boards or attending speaker programs. Plus, hospital pharmacists may develop expertise in a particular disease that may be of interest to pharmaceutical companies that have therapeutics in that indication.
Some of the marketable skills that hospital pharmacists develop come from needing to communicate and develop relationships with other health care providers to manage patient care as well as manage insurance claims. At major institutions, PharmDs may participate in running clinical trials and/or clinical research. Importantly, they might have experience managing adverse events for investigational therapies. These are skill sets that are relevant and transferable to different roles in the pharmaceutical company.
Last word on pharmacists getting new jobs in pharma
In conclusion, there are many jobs in the pharmaceutical industry available to those with PharmD degrees. Of course, this is by no means an exhaustive list of the types of jobs and the entry points into those positions. Importantly, there are lots of opportunities in the pharmaceutical industry to match a PharmD’s interests and strengths with various career paths.
If you’re a PharmD and have a position in the pharmaceutical industry, we would love to hear from you! What position do you have? How did you enter that career?
If you are just starting out, do you have additional questions? Let us know!