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Regulatory compliance, drug development & technology to spur new job roles in Indian pharma: Girija S
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Nandita Vijay Bengaluru
September 22 , 2023
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Indian pharma’s trends like regulatory compliance, accelerated drug development and technological advancements especially post the pandemic are seen to create newer job roles in Indian pharmaceutical sector, stated Girija S, vice president- Quess Corp.
This is associated with R&D and clinical development. According to Quess, recruiters in the pharma space intend to hire close to 16,000 people in this financial year, she added.
Moreover, domestic expansion has been phenomenal with an expanding R&D ecosystem. There also lies a huge potential for India to improve its pharma exports to other markets. Technology advancements in pharma such as AI and ML, digital therapeutics, cloud technology, big data, digital training, precision medicine, blockchain technology, and advanced analytics have additionally changed the way the industry functions, Girija told Pharmabiz in an email.
Quoting reports, she said, AI expenditure in India is expected to reach US$ 11.78 billion by the end of 2025 and is being used for drug discovery, clinical trial processes, and even supply chain management in the pharma industry. All of these creates new job roles too.
Quess has noted a 13% annual growth in demand for talent in the pharma industry across the entry-level workforce and in apprentices this August 2023 compared to last year. This demand can be attributed to improved manufacturing across the chemical hubs of Goa & Assam. Moreover, considering the kind of automation adoption in pharma, there is a rise in the need for newer roles which require the skillset. Across industries, 16% of the total share of pharma staffing demand will be in chemicals.
The key roles in demand across pharma include bioinformatics associate/analyst, ehs, production, assistant- secondary & tertiary packaging (pharma, biologics and medical device), quality control, Clinical research, picker, and packer, said Girija.
Regulatory affairs officers, who are in demand in the pharma space, ensure that products such as foods, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and veterinary medicines – and the steps involved in developing, testing and marketing them – meet legislative requirements. Critical thinking, writing skills, oral communication, organizing skills, and business skills are generally requisites for such roles.
Marketing research professionals with project planning skills, specializations, transferrable skills, strategic thinking and creative problem-solving skills are also roles that have grown in number. Management skills, awareness of industry trends, understanding of regulations and legal matters, conflict resolution and teamwork are also notable skills to have in the space.
In pharma manufacturing, roles in production and quality control, research and development, clinical research associate, clinical research assistant, analytical chemist, distribution, research scientist, and pharmacologists are popular professions.
It is here the production linked incentives (PLI) scheme for medical manufacturing aims to improve domestic production and reduce foreign reliance and has improved India’s stance as a self-reliant country. As a result, India has commenced manufacturing 38 active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) that were previously imported. The Center has also rolled out a Rs. 5,000 crore research-linked-scheme (RLI) for the pharma and med-tech segments to strengthen research infrastructure in the country through advanced facilities as well as talent upskilling.
Similarly, India’s first national policy to promote R&D and innovation in pharma also aims to make India a global hub for pharma export. Drug discovery, innovation in medical devices, regulatory intervention, incentivized research through funding, and several other aspects are being looked into under the same which hold the potential to take the country to great heights, she noted.
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