While pharmacy is the science of the development, preparation, and distribution of drugs, clinical pharmacology focuses on exploring the relationship between drugs and the humans they’re prescribed to. As a subset of biomedical science, clinical pharmacology is underpinned by the application of pharmacological methods and principles to explore how drugs directly affect populations. The discipline of clinical pharmacology connects science with the practice of medicine, ensuring that those receiving drugs are effectively treated and that potential side effects are reduced. If you’re exploring a career in Pharmaceutical Quality Assurance and Quality Control, you’ll be working to ensure that pharmaceutical drugs.. READ MORE »
Pharmacovigilance (or PV) is a major part of drug safety, dealing with the detection, assessment, and monitoring of drug effects on the human body. With updated regulations and technological advancements, the pharmaceutical industry is facing pressure to automate PV systems—optimizing spending costs while also improving risk management. By doing so, PV systems would be better suited to create personalized medicine. Automation would also help promote transparent data sharing between patients and healthcare providers as well as regulatory agencies. In this way, those pursuing pharmaceutical studies can expect automation to significantly change the pharmaceutical industry. Here’s a closer look at how.. READ MORE »
Since its discovery nearly a century ago, penicillin has been used around the world as the choice antibiotic of physicians for treating all kinds of bacterial illnesses and infections. The effectiveness of this antibiotic class-type remains unmatched, unique in its ability to inhibit various types of harmful bacterial strains. It’s also been credited as the interventive cure to many once deadly diseases. So how did this antibiotic, considered to this day as no less than miraculous, come to be? As it happens—quite by accident. We take a closer look at the intriguing history of penicillin here for those taking pharmaceutical.. READ MORE »
Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) are one of the most common medications used by many to treat mild to moderate pain. As some of them are considered over-the-counter drugs, they’ve become increasingly relied upon by the average consumer for quick pain relief. As such, understanding how NSAIDs work and what sets them apart from other medications can be extremely valuable for students interested in pharmacology. During your pharmaceutical or regulatory affairs program, you’ll be introduced to key regulatory systems, legislations, and practices that directly affect the development and quality of pharmaceutical products. Here’s a closer look at NSAIDs for those studying.. READ MORE »
Probiotics are categorized as microorganisms most typically found in dairy products, and consumed for their proven health benefits. Research has linked the consumption of the live and active culture of probiotics with the alleviation of numerous gastrointestinal troubles, and with helping to ease the symptoms of lactose intolerance. While consumers are likely to be most familiar with probiotics packaged into well-known yogurts, yogurt drinks, and cheeses, probiotics can also be manufactured into pill or tablet format for consumption as a natural health product. Before any products containing the active bacteria are released to market in Canada, however, they must receive.. READ MORE »
Graduates of a research and development program can work in many different areas of the pharmaceutical industry. Whether working in a testing laboratory or for a pharmaceutical company, it’s important that any research you conduct adheres to the standards laid out by the Good Clinical Practice (GCP) guidelines. GCP guidelines are set out by the International Council on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH). These international quality standards govern the designing, conducting, and reporting of clinical trials that involve human subjects. With its roots in the Declaration of Helsinki and the Belmont Report, GCP guidelines have.. READ MORE »
In your pharmaceutical quality assurance career, you may from time to time encounter issues that impact a drug’s quality and performance. Health Canada recognizes this reality, and has outlined steps that pharmaceutical companies must take to deal with these issues in its good manufacturing practices guide for drug products. However, delivering detailed investigation reports shortly after a deviation occurs is not an easy task. That’s why it’s important to fully understand these reports, so that you’re well-equipped to deal with manufacturing inconsistencies when they arise. Ready to get started? Read on to learn all about deviation investigation reports! What Is.. READ MORE »
Biotechnology has been a part of human life for centuries and also plays a major role in the pharmaceutical industry today. Typically referred to as biologics or biologic drugs, these products are developed, researched, and used by medical professionals all over the world. Similar to chemically developed drugs, biologics undergo strict regulation to make it to clinical trials and eventually to the market, or into medical facilities. Keep reading for more details about this important sector of the pharmaceutical industry. Biologics and Biotechnology Biotechnology companies exist in a range of industries, including food production, cleaning products, and the manufacture of.. READ MORE »
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines pharmacovigilance as: “The science and activities relating to the detection, assessment, understanding and prevention of adverse effects or any other drug-related problem.” It monitors the safety of all medicines, aiming to prevent Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) and improve upon the effectiveness and safety of drugs through monitoring. Pharmacovigilance occurs on a local, national, and international level. Thanks to the WHO Programme for International Drug Monitoring, pharmacovigilance is improved by a global collaborative network. The network spans over 150 countries. Read on for more background on pharmacovigilance, why it matters, and the role of a.. READ MORE »
Continuous manufacturing is a method of mass production, where the materials involved flow continuously, without interruption. It enables manufacturing to be constant, operating 24/7 except for occasional maintenance shutdowns. In contrast, the industry standard prior to now has been batch manufacturing, which separates the process into different steps, executed individually. Quality control is an important part of the manufacturing process. Continuous manufacturing could affect it in a few ways—read on for more! 1. Continuous Manufacturing Needs Real Time Pharmaceutical Quality Control Differences in quality control for batch manufacturing vs. continuous manufacturing include the following: Since batch manufacturing allows for testing.. READ MORE »
