Q for quality, Quality in Healthcare

Healthcare is a basic human need. There is always a scope to innovate, discover and improve the availability of medicines for various ailments. The global pharmaceutical industry is expected to grow at a 3 – 6 per cent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over the next five years. The focus is on addressing unmet medical needs, making medicines more affordable and optimising manufacturing processes. The industry is growing steadily throughout the world and particularly fast in markets such as India. Due to this rapid advancement, the demand for professionals will continue to rise.

Paradigm shift The traditional understanding of quality as mere absence of defects has undergone a paradigm shift. Given that pharma products directly impact the human body, quality has much more significance here than in other industries. During the production process, the manufacturers strive to comply with global regulations and ensure safe and reliable drugs — all this while keeping the production costs at optimum levels. Pharma companies look at many sides to quality through many components including reviewing processes, regulatory requirements and good manufacturing practices. In order to tackle these challenges, quality is typically broken into several functions including quality assurance (QA), quality control (QC) and compliance.

Career growth The competency requirement essentially depends upon the product line that one is involved within the pharma industry. A career in the quality function of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) manufacturing will require knowledge of organic chemistry. Therefore, a B.Sc or M.Sc will be the expected educational qualification. On the other hand, the manufacturing of finished dosage forms (often termed ‘formulations’) will require knowledge of pharmacy. A diploma in pharma, B.Pharm. or M.Pharm. will be required for taking up a job in the quality function of formulations. >
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