The profession of pharmacy has a large socio-economic relevance to the country. The profession has a major responsibility of providing drugs and pharmaceuticals to the nation at an affordable price, improving the pharmaceutical care to the patients, making available medicines throughout the country in a rationalized fashion and there by contributing to the improvement of healthcare scenario of the nation. In the last five decades, the profession of pharmacy has transformed from a conventional pharmacy to technology-based pharmaceutical sciences. The transition was gradual but steady.
Knowledge society
Hundred years ago India was an agricultural society. Later it has become industrial society. Today, it is a knowledge-based information society where connectivity and software products are driving the economy of the nation. In the 21st century knowledge is the primary production resource instead of capital and labour. The knowledge society is empowered by innovative capacity. Efficient utilization of this knowledge can produce better pharmaceutical care and practices, which help in improving the healthcare facilities in the country. Developing knowledge infrastructure and workers, create and maintain better pharma care by optimum utilization of the above two factors will be the benchmark in deciding the prosperity of this knowledge society.
Computer facilities can be utilized for creating interactive virtual classroom in all the pharmacy colleges in the country. All the centres of pharmacy education in the country can be connected through tele-education system (Edusat - Educational Satellite) so that the availability of experienced professors from selected pharmacy colleges can be made available to all the pharmacy educational centres. This system can provide delivery of lectures by renowned professors on common subjects to all the colleges from a single point in the country.
Digital library
A library has to provide the necessary information in a manner that enhances teaching and research. Library is not only a connecting link between teaching, learning and research but also a place where classroom learning can be enhanced with its enormous resources. Due to digitalization, the libraries are shifting the focus from collection to access. A library will have to manage both print and electronic resources in such a way that they complement each other it should have a provision to include newer resources as they emerge. The pharmacy institutional requirements can be met in today's information explosion by accessing e-journals, online databases and other web based library services through the library portal. Due to invention of Internet, CD- ROM and floppy, e-documents came into existence. Hypertext and worldwide web (www) have brought several new dimensions to the information seeking process. Paper and print still work best for sustained reading while electronic distribution of information is better for faster access and retrieval of relevant information.
An ideal pharmacy library should have good number of e-resources for teaching, learning and research work. e-resources are digital objects containing electronic representations of books, journals and other form of reading materials and they are converted into digitized form in order to be read by a computer. Contents of e-resources can be accessible at any place regardless of time to be read on personal computers. e-books would never go out of print and new editions can be easily created. Features such as full text searching, changeable font size and mark-up, creation will enhance utility. The consortium-based subscription to electronic resources can be a viable solution in order to increase the access to electronic resources across the institutions at lower cost. Consortia provides strength to negotiate with electronic publishers for the best possible price and rights. The collective strength of consortia members facilitates the libraries to get the benefit of wider access to electronic resources at affordable cost.
Present day pharma scenario
" Continuous upgradation of knowledge and skill enhancement
" Task based remuneration
" Highly competitive and excellence in performance
" Private sector is the major provider of employment
" High frequency of mobility in job. Job security and safety have lost relevance in today's perspective.
Due to liberalization, privatization and globalization (LPG) policies, pharma scenario in India has acquired an international look. Today several pharmaceutical companies of India are approved by US FDA and are listed at NASDAQ. The indigenous development of hepatitis B vaccine, AIDS diagnostic kits at substantial lower costs without compromising on the quality are good examples of technology innovations in pharmaceutical sciences.
IT - future thrust areas in pharma sciences
Bioinformatics is the science, which integrates biological sciences and information technology (IT). Hence, it can be called as 'Systems biology'. Systems biology involves the use of global cellular measurements - genomic, proteomic and metabolomic - to construct computational models of cellular processes and disease. Pharmacogenomics is another offshoot of IT. It is an emerging area of Bio-Medical research and as the name implies the field lies at the intersection of pharmacology and genomics. Pharmacogenomics holds promise for the development of personalized medicine wherein individual drug prescriptions will be adapted to each person's genetic signature.
Pharmacogenomics combines lab based pharma sciences such as physiology, biochemistry and molecular genetics with population biology. Bioinformatics no doubt will be providing new insights into the functioning of drug targeting proteins and also in providing new research technologies and applications to pharma industry.
IT and stakeholders of pharmacy education
A stakeholder has an interest in the institution who can contribute to its development and success. The stakeholders are management, principal, faculty, students and parents. In the above context, IT can be conveniently used for developing innovative initiatives for framing well defined goals and objectives (vision), developing good teaching techniques, for better evaluation parameters for the students, in establishing good learning, good staff development, consultancy services and extension activities.
The easy accessibility of IT enabled facilities in the country have given sufficient awareness to the students about the pre-requisites of a quality pharmacy institution and also the facilities offered to them by those institutions for progression to higher studies and employment. Before seeking the admission to an institution today students and parents are collecting the information regarding the infrastructural facilities, faculty profile, modern teaching tools, support facilities like computer center, playground, grievance redressal mechanism, carrier counseling center and other academic amenities available in an institution.
Knowledge society - pharma industry
Drugs and pharma industry is a knowledge-based industry. The pharma industry is one of the sunrise industries of India with enormous scope for the growth. Some important facts about pharma industry in India are:
¢ India accounts for 10% of world's production of pharmaceuticals by volume and ranks fourth in the world.
¢ Indian pharma industry is currently at US$ 4 billion - some conservative estimates expect the industry to grow to about 17-20 billion by 2010.
¢ India is among top three generic drug producers worldwide.
¢ India has the largest number of US FDA approved plants outside of USA.
¢ Domestic market in India is growing at the rate of 8 to 10% per annum.
¢ India has 300 large, 6000 small and medium units in the pharma sector.
IT has provided the means of recording and retrieving information at will. The pharma companies in India are enhancing their competitive capability through R&D and by acquiring new components of knowledge leading to innovation. Effective use of information by pharma industry leads to technology up gradation, growth, wealth creation and gaining international competitiveness. Pharma companies should discover new molecules or improve the existing products and processes in order to bring the cost of medicines within the reach of a poor man.
Conclusion
The emergence of global village concept with IT revolution has brought sea changes in every sphere of human activity. In order to overcome challenges thrown by this changing economic environment, the pharmaceutical industries and pharmacy education institutes have to re-structure their training practices that include improved human relations, application of IT tools in R&D. The concept of LPG has caused metamorphosis in human living and this change is always for better living conditions.
(The author is principal,Veerayatan Institute of Pharmacy,Jakhania, Bhuj-Mandvi Road,Tal. Mandvi, Kutch 370 460,Gujarat)