Indian pharmacy curriculum needs a revamp going by the global expectations and ever increasing needs of the pharmaceutical industry. The industry is also scouting for a large talent pool of quality professionals, according to SM Mudda, chairman, regulatory affairs, sub-committee Indian Drug Manufacturers’ Association (IDMA) and executive director- technical & operations, Micro Labs Ltd.

While the pharmacists having unprecedented opportunities, the pharmacy education too needed to respond to the global challenges. This is where sound basic knowledge could stand in good stead for candidates in the current competitive environment, Mudda told Pharmabiz in an interaction.

In India, competent chemists, chemical engineers and doctorates in life sciences are available at 1/6th to 1/3rd of US costs. Now to face the global challenges and compete with multinational companies, Indian pharma    needs  technical- research oriented professionals. Therefore, it is vital to  initiate an academic exercise aimed at revamping of curriculum, in line with current and emerging trends in the field of pharmacy. Modern manufacturing methods and advanced technologies should be included as special subjects in the curriculum, he added.

With globalisation of the Indian pharma industry the crucial topics of discussion are Abbreviated New Drug Applications (ANDAs), NDAs (New Drug Applications), Regulatory Affairs (RAs), Pharmacovigilance etc. Overemphasis on exports to regulated markets seems to have created a lop-sided focus on these functions alone at the expense of other important aspects related to pharmaceutical manufacturing. “Such a mindset appears to be an outcome of the existing curriculum that has not captured the key areas of the industry,” said Mudda.

Therefore, pharmacy curriculum expectations from an industry perspective calls for a balanced focus on management abilities, business developments, project management, operational excellence, materials management, supply chain management, pharma engineering and technical writing.

Currently, there are many aspects of pharmaceutical engineering which are not included in the syllabus. Some of the topics required to be included are  good manufacturing practice (GMP)-Compliant Facility Design, cross-contamination and mix-up controls, men and material flow, critical utilities like HVAC(heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) and water systems.

Under materials management, ample attention has to be paid on analysis of market to assess present- future material availability of right quality. Additionally, requirements related specific characteristics of materials, safety, storage and handling etc. needs to be covered.

Technical writing should help students to bring out the ability to examine the information available and to interpret it correctly, develop investigational approach and provide lucid responses during complaint investigations.

“Knowledge of modern Management System is essential to create quality pharma professionals who could optimally utilise their knowledge to handle  all the aspects of pharmaceutical industry. The key to an updated syllabus would help mould pharmacy students in  resolving complexities at various projects,” said Mudda.

As a knowledge management initiative, Mudda also delved on the importance of forums of exchange like the ISPE which conducts Young Pharmaceutical Professionals Education Programme (YPEP) and the Pharma Training Institute of Karnataka Pharmaceutical Trust that imparts industrial orientation to the fresh graduates.