Medical Education Special PHARMA STUDIES
T
here has been a sea change in
the pharma sector’s approach to
drug discovery and development.Pharmaceutical sciences are changing so dramatically that a strong leadership is
required to steer pharmacy education through this transitional phase, along with a
dynamic curriculum...
Dr. B. Suresh
Pro Chancellor, JSS Academy of Higher
Education and Research &
President, Pharmacy Council of India
PHARMACEUTICAL
SCIENCES FOR THE
FUTURE
needs to be successful and relevant in
this century.
Biologics has been the fastest grow-
ing class of new drugs and accounts
for 33% of all new drug applications
(NDAs). Pharma sector has been con-
tinuously pursuing an approach to feed
their pipeline, and even modifying the
large corporations into smaller, more
flexible, mobile divisions in the spirit
of the startup phenomena to increase
competitiveness and creativity. Recent-
ly, an approval pathway for biosimilars
has become available which will fur-
ther fuel the growth of biological drugHowever, pharmacy education still
maintains a traditional approach to its
curriculum and education. It is impor-
tant to understand the research trends
in the pharmaceutical industry to deter-
mine whether India’s postgraduate and
doctoral programmes are strategically
positioned to prepare graduates for suc-
cessful careers in the next few decades.
The undergraduate and postgraduate
programmes in pharmaceutical scienc-
es should prepare and equip the gradu-
ates in meeting the needs of the employ-
ers, imbibing a culture of innovation
and collaboration, that our industry