Pharmaceutical Industry 101

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(IndustryPharmD I PM you about this but I just found out that it would be preferred to post this question on this forum.)
Currently, I am a pharmacy student but I am now looking at my options as graduation comes closer.
For new PharmD graduates that would like to work in industry, are they required to have passed the state law for the company that they work for? For example, the graduate had to move out of the state where he has received his pharmacy schooling and has already passed the boards for his school's state. Now he has to relocate in order to find employment. Does the graduate have to have passed another state's law exam before he is employed?
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Biochemi said:
(IndustryPharmD I PM you about this but I just found out that it would be preferred to post this question on this forum.)
Currently, I am a pharmacy student but I am now looking at my options as graduation comes closer.
For new PharmD graduates that would like to work in industry, are they required to have passed the state law for the company that they work for? For example, the graduate had to move out of the state where he has received his pharmacy schooling and has already passed the boards for his school's state. Now he has to relocate in order to find employment. Does the graduate have to have passed another state's law exam before he is employed?
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You do not need to be a licensed pharmacist to work in pharma or medical device industry (no passing of exams required). You are not dispensing medication or giving clinical advice to HCPs or patients in this field.
 
I have a question:

The best way to get into a fellowship is to show an interest and demonstrated skill set in industry, right? I'm assuming this is done through internships and doing an industry-related rotation.

I'm going to start pharmacy school in the fall but it is a 3-year program. Considering the fact I won't have my summers free, what are other opportunities I should pursue to gain more experience?
 
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cherriesandrum said:
I have a question:

The best way to get into a fellowship is to show an interest and demonstrated skill set in industry, right? I'm assuming this is done through internships and doing an industry-related rotation.

I'm going to start pharmacy school in the fall but it is a 3-year program. Considering the fact I won't have my summers free, what are other opportunities I should pursue to gain more experience?
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Network with your professors, especially ones that are involved with clinical research and see if you can help out and train under them. I don't know how your 3-year program is structured, but hopefully your school offers flexibility on what types of rotations you can do and try to set up industry-related or FDA rotations.
 
I had a patient try to recruit me into the industry

Granted, he had just sold his own company, no doubt an event that puts an optimistic spin on things

Sounds delightful
 
Hi, I sent you a PM regarding this question but i thought i would post it here too so others can read it and benefit from it if they are interested in clinical trial position. I am currently a P2 student interested in pharmaceutical industry positions after graduation. specially in clinical trials. however i could not find enough information online on what is the job responsibility of pharmacists working in clinical trials or what is the requirement after graduation to get the job in R&D or clinical trials. if you can please shadow some information on pharmacists working in clinical trial and what should I, as a P2 student should do to gain experience or get involved in area of clinical trials. Thank you once again.
 
I have a question regarding your opinion (or anyone else's) on industry certificate programs for students? Just wondering if it will be worth it to put the time in. Thanks for any reply
 
First time posting on this forum, but I have been follow SDN for quite a few years:

Are job transfers from industry to government (ie FDA) common? I'm entering P1 year with one year of retail experience (had to stop because of summer classes), but I'm concerned if industry internship recruiters look at certain work experiences more favorably - for example, would an interviewer prefer hospital > retail experience, or is pharmacy-specific experience required at all?
 
hereticmnk said:
Health economics and outcomes research (HEOR) would be a good way to go. Although, its going to be very very different from the economics that you learned with your econ degree. More to do with cost effectiveness and pt reported outcomes. Maybe you could focus on the applied econ portion of the department where they need people to conduct willingness to pay studies for pricing purposes. The drug companies are always looking for people that can demonstrate value to the payers. Just my $0.02, I am sure IndustryPharmD will have a much more detailed answer than me :D
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Rutgers just created a multi-disciplinary master's degree in HEOR - unfortunately, I think it's more tailored for academic research than for those who want to find industry positions.
 
greenteapanacea said:
Are job transfers from industry to government (ie FDA) common?
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While not an everyday thing, they are certainly not unusual. Both industry to FDA and FDA to industry. Often that would be for people working in regulatory affairs, but other options exist as well. And there are more government options than the FDA - both more traditional ones like the VA and the IHS and the office-type jobs such as with the CDC.

I'm entering P1 year with one year of retail experience (had to stop because of summer classes), but I'm concerned if industry internship recruiters look at certain work experiences more favorably - for example, would an interviewer prefer hospital > retail experience, or is pharmacy-specific experience required at all?
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Doesn't matter where you worked, but it is important that you do work during school. That shows that you are able to manage your time and handle real-life environment, among other things. Generally there is a bias against those who did not work during school, I would say. Unless you can show that you had something much more important claim your time - such as you were a single parent of a young child or a primary caregiver of a disabled relative, or were heavily involved with a charity - not as in "I was involved with APhA" but as in "I volunteered 20 hours a week at a charity clinic" type of thing - it looks like you were either lazy or disconnected from the "real world" if you did not work. "I wanted to get good grades" is never a reason, plenty of people have good grades AND work. And if you reason is "I just couldn't find anything" - then you have just killed your chances of getting the position you are interviewing for, because no one wants to hire some loser whom NOBODY wanted to hire. And in ever. That's actually another important benefit of having had a job for more than a couple months - it's reassuring your potential employers that someone else took a chance on you and was happy with you (or at least not so disappointed as to fire you after a couple weeks :) ), mitigating their own risk to an extent.
 
Hello,
I just finished my P1 year, and like most people here, it was my definite goal to obtain an industry pharmacy internship this summer. I understand the process is competitive, which is why I applied to literally, everywhere, multiple times (Merck, Genentech, Amgen, Takeda, you name it)- only to get rejected. I wasn't even being picky about location, and applied all over the nation. I don't think it was my lack of experience that resulted in these rejections. Before pharmacy school, I worked at Genentech as a technician, and my undergrad research was recently published. I have no idea why I didn't even get a single interview. I know getting an industry internship is extremely competitive, but I feel traumatized from this experience. I would appreciate ANY advice for a new approach for next year.
 
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I would suggest that you work with someone (e.g. faculty member) to review your cover letter and CV for both content and style/formatting if you have not already done so.
 
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^ internship in industry is very competitive. At my school, the ones who went into industry were (1) hard working; (2) attractive; (3) personable.

So yeah all the good qualities. I am not saying you are not competitive but you should always have a concurrent plan.
 
BMBiology said:
^ internship in industry is very competitive. At my school, the ones who went into industry were (1) hard working; (2) attractive; (3) personable.

So yeah all the good qualities. I am not saying you are not competitive but you should always have a concurrent plan.
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I agree with you! But how would they know 2 and 3 if I don't even get an interview.. Right??
 
patmcd said:
I would suggest that you work with someone (e.g. faculty member) to review your cover letter and CV for both content and style/formatting if you have not already done so.
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I did this as well.. I should ask more people though.
 
Hi, maybe it is because your school is not well known enough, and the companies only select from schools that have graduates working there. My current company has several people from Rutgers Fellow program and even someone in pharmacovigilance who got hired as a contractor. 90% of them not only went to Rutgers Fellow program but went to the 0-6 program at Rutgers Pharmacy school. Only one person from University of Iowa that I met was not from Rutgers PharmD. Maybe you only are really considered if you are from the following schools: MCPHS, Northeastern, Rutgers, USP since they would be the ones that would have the industry rotations.
 
Can you give any insight or advice on applying to multiple fellowship positions with the same company and how that is looked at? I have narrowed it down to a couple of functional areas that I am interested in and want to apply to, but some companies have multiple positions which overlap with those areas.
 
PharmEcon said:
Can you give any insight or advice on applying to multiple fellowship positions with the same company and how that is looked at? I have narrowed it down to a couple of functional areas that I am interested in and want to apply to, but some companies have multiple positions which overlap with those areas.
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People do that a fair bit, especially if there is overlap in the type of work/projects you will be involved with.
 
patmcd said:
People do that a fair bit, especially if there is overlap in the type of work/projects you will be involved with.
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Good to hear, thanks! Just wanted to avoid making it seem like I am "applying to everything" if I apply to 2-3 positions with the same company (which overlap in function).
 
Should be ok as long as you can clearly articulate why you're interested in each program and how they all fit in helping you achieve your future goals.
 
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Pharm201777 said:
Hello,
I just finished my P1 year, and like most people here, it was my definite goal to obtain an industry pharmacy internship this summer. I understand the process is competitive, which is why I applied to literally, everywhere, multiple times (Merck, Genentech, Amgen, Takeda, you name it)- only to get rejected. I wasn't even being picky about location, and applied all over the nation. I don't think it was my lack of experience that resulted in these rejections. Before pharmacy school, I worked at Genentech as a technician, and my undergrad research was recently published. I have no idea why I didn't even get a single interview. I know getting an industry internship is extremely competitive, but I feel traumatized from this experience. I would appreciate ANY advice for a new approach for next year.
Click to expand...

My advice to you is not to fret so much about not getting an industry internship especially if you have technician experience at Genentech already. Worry about your GPA, your leadership experiences, setting up industry rotations, and crafting a stellar CV and cover letter. Fellowships love leadership and strong academic performance. Closer to PPS, worry about how to interview well. Iowa has some available rotation connections to industry that you can exploit and you can apply for things like FDA as well.

I also went through the 'why can't i land an internship' anxiety, never ended up getting one, but got onsites with 5/6 fellowships and offers from 4 (withdrew from the fifth).
 
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Hi I really enjoy your posts so thank you very much in advance. First of all, I am going into my sophomore year in undergrad so I know I am still young. However, I am very driven and I feel that I truly know what I want to do. I love health science/medicine. I am interested in so many areas like public health, psychology, clinical research, medicine but am having a hard time narrowing my choices down. I plan on majoring in a biology/health related major. Like I said, I am almost for sure going into some kind of medical/health area. Right now the main goal is med school but we will see what happens later on. My question is what kind of insight or advice can you give me on choosing the right path/narrowing down my choices? I am very hands on and would prefer working with people and dealing with the actual science or medical aspects of work rather than strictly business. I just don't know if I should stick to medical school, apply for pharmacy school, or graduate school in other scientific areas and like I said, I am not even sure what kind of science I would specialize in (neurology, psychology, oncology, pm&r, clinical research, teaching, regulatory affairs, pharmacovigilance etc. all sound so interesting). I guess what I am trying to find out is if there is a way I could go for a certain path that would possibly allow me to explore different areas and is interchangeable with both medicine, research, pharmaceutical industry etc. I know this is a tough question to answer but as a young kid looking into the future I am very eager and will hopefully find something that makes me as happy as your career makes you. Again, thanks for any feedback you can give me.

P.S. excuse my username, after all, I am only 19
 
Hello all,

First, thank you to IndsutryPharmD for creating and maintaining this over time. I have been occasionally browsing this thread for over a year now. Since graduation is approaching rapidly I have numerous questions and uncertainties about my future. I have always known I wanted to enter pharma post graduation. My #1 goal currently is to obtain an industry fellowship. However, recently I have been experiencing a bad case of impostor syndrome. This feeling has compelled me into a frenzy of research for alternate routes into pharma.

So my question to everyone is, though specifically aimed at IndustryPharmD, currently what are potential alternate paths into industry for a PharmD/MBA May 2015 graduate? I have two industry rotation experiences and I am graduating from a top 5 pharmacy school (although I doubt that makes any difference in regards to industry positions).

Another question for those that work or have worked in industry: what are the top 3 companies to work for currently, taking everything into consideration (culture, pipeline, leadership, compensation, respect for employees, future outlook, ...)?

Thank you in advance
 
I like this thread !! Thanks IndustryPharmD :thumbup::thumbup:
 
Dear IndustryPharmD and others who are in the Industry field,

First of all, I appreciate you all so much for creating many precious posts. All of them were so helpful and learned so many things I didn't know before.
I have a question regarding finding industry rotation for AAPE. Honestly, my school is not very well-known and there is very limited options in the industry field. In fact, there is only one rotation site. I have tried contacting several companies in the past few weeks to set up APPE rotation. However, I wasn’t able to do so because they only accept students from the affiliated schools that they have long-standing relationship with, which my school is not. Therefore, I am wondering if any companies would also accept students from schools they are not affiliated with? If so, would you please let me know which companies they are and how to contact them? I would appreciate so much if you could help me with that.

Thank you all again!
 
Hello all,
I am currently a PharmD working at a pharmaceutical company. I am trying to decide between an opportunity in regulatory affairs and one in medical affairs. I cannot elaborate too much on the regulatory affairs position, but with the MA opportunity, the bulk of responsibility will be content development particularly writing standard response documents and reviewing information used by the medical information team.

Which discipline would give me plenty of room to grow and not face the barrier of not being an MD? Furthermore, which discipline gives me the transferable skills and experience to go to any biotech/pharma company? I'm also wondering which area would integrate well with business if I decide to pursue an MBA.

Thank you in advance for the insights.
 
MPH:Epidemiology and Biostat
Thank you so much for the post. I have been looking for a post like this for a long time. I have been working for independent pharmacy for more than 4 yeas. I am pursing a MPH in Epidemiology and Biostat. The thing is that I have to pick a specific tract, either Epi or Biostat? Which one is more marketable with a Pharm D. ? Can you tell me more in detail about the positions these degree combinations can hold? Thank you.
 
Hello! Thank you for all the great information. I just have one question, how realistic is it to get a fellowship or generally find a career in industry after a year or two of working in retail? I came to the realization just a little bit too late that industry is something that I am interested in and didn't have enough time to prepare for midyear and do this properly so i was wondering if I could potentially make the switch later. Thank you!
 
I'm two years out (C/O 2012), I have about 10 interviews set up for fellowships at midyear this weekend. I was worried about that too.. Some fellowships you have to have NOT graduated within 2-3 years. But not all. Luckily I applied this year because the one I REALLY want is like that, this would be my last year I'm eligible to apply. . I saw a lot of encouraging things and stories, so please apply sooner rather than later, you're certainly not the oldest one, or rarest out applying.
 
JamesL1585 said:
I'm two years out (C/O 2012), I have about 10 interviews set up for fellowships at midyear this weekend. I was worried about that too.. Some fellowships you have to have NOT graduated within 2-3 years. But not all. Luckily I applied this year because the one I REALLY want is like that, this would be my last year I'm eligible to apply. . I saw a lot of encouraging things and stories, so please apply sooner rather than later, you're certainly not the oldest one, or rarest out applying.
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thats awesome! good luck man.. post back after midyear let us know how it went :)
 
Hello,
I am currently a P2 student and in the process of applying to Health IT masters program. I have developed an interest in Pharmaceutical Industry and was wondering if you could elaborate on any potential roles/positions that having this degree combination might fill? Thank you.
 
mjnano said:
thats awesome! good luck man.. post back after midyear let us know how it went :)
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The conference was INSANE!!!! So intense. Maybe it's because of the positions I was going for, more alpha type people there than any. I was mostly going for Policy/Regulatory/Business Strategy fellowships. Some of the candidates were dual degree Pharmacist + Law/MBA/Regulatory Science backgrounds and some came from top schools. Regardless, it was an amazing experience, really tested your dedication and your guts to go out there and perform interview after interview. Wouldn't have changed anything about the experience.

So far I have one onsite interview scheduled in January with one of the better fellowships (IMO), won't say which one. Just that I'm very excited. I expect at least one more from another company through Rutger, with up to 4 total interviews if I'm really lucky.
 
There is so much good information on this page, and I apologize if I ask a question that has already been asked. My son is a high school senior, and will be attending school next year as a PharmD student. I was speaking with a friend of mine over the weekend, and he told me that he was aware of a "ROTC"-like program, whereby a company (he mentioned CVS and Pfizer, but there may be others?) pays for a student's schooling, and then that student commits to working for the company for a period of years after graduation. Is anyone aware of any programs such as this, and, if so, can you give me some details? Thanks so much in advance!!!!
 
JamesL1585 said:
The conference was INSANE!!!! So intense. Maybe it's because of the positions I was going for, more alpha type people there than any. I was mostly going for Policy/Regulatory/Business Strategy fellowships. Some of the candidates were dual degree Pharmacist + Law/MBA/Regulatory Science backgrounds and some came from top schools. Regardless, it was an amazing experience, really tested your dedication and your guts to go out there and perform interview after interview. Wouldn't have changed anything about the experience.

So far I have one onsite interview scheduled in January with one of the better fellowships (IMO), won't say which one. Just that I'm very excited. I expect at least one more from another company through Rutger, with up to 4 total interviews if I'm really lucky.
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Thats awesome! I wish you luck in your on site interviews. I hope to build my resume a bit for a year or two then try and take a path similar to yours. Best of luck!
 
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Thank you for all your posts, they are great! I am starting as a PA pharmacist soon. Can you give me any advice/ tips for moving up? Anything I should be doing or what I can expect? Thank you in advance.
 
Is there a saturation of entry-level pharmacists in industry? I keep on hearing that pharmacy is saturated but I am not 100% certain where (in what setting) this is coming from?
 
There are many valuable resources for student pharmacists interested in industry here: http://www.industrypharmacist.org/resources_promotional.php

2,000 students have registered with IPhO, and we are closing in on 20 approved student chapters around the country. Join our growing network and learn everything you wanted to know about industry - from internships to fellowships to full time positions.
 
I'm currently in a PhD program and I'm really interested in the pharmaceutical industry. I live in the south and I really don't wanna move far away from that region. Initially pharmacy school was my passion but the job market in saturated right now. Plus not the mention the massive debt I would inquire. Honestly it scared me. Would I have a good chance of gaining employment with having a PhD or should I get a PharmD/PhD? I'm in my 3rd year of my program but I'm willing to make that transition if needed.
 
Hello IndustryPharmD,

I am new to SDN and I joined specifically for information on industry fellowships. I found this thread and I cannot thank you enough for the wealth of helpful information you have provided. I wanted to ask if it matters what pharmacy school you graduate from when applying for fellowships? I don't go to one of the top ranked schools and several people have told me that it puts me at a huge disadvantage and that it will be near impossible for me to get a fellowship with a big pharma company especially when competing nationally with students from leading pharmacy schools.
 
1)The salary in the pharmaceutical industry is lower than in retail,isn't?But after working some years,can you get a high salary as in retail?
2)And generally...what is the best paid position,after graduating a pharmacy school or after some years of experience?
3)Do you need a MD or a Phamd's to work in industry..or to be a pharmacist manager?
 
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PharmBeee said:
Hello IndustryPharmD,

I am new to SDN and I joined specifically for information on industry fellowships. I found this thread and I cannot thank you enough for the wealth of helpful information you have provided. I wanted to ask if it matters what pharmacy school you graduate from when applying for fellowships? I don't go to one of the top ranked schools and several people have told me that it puts me at a huge disadvantage and that it will be near impossible for me to get a fellowship with a big pharma company especially when competing nationally with students from leading pharmacy schools.
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Pharmacy schools matter when considering the level of exposure to industry that a pharmacy school provides its students. Most common example is Rutgers which has the largest fellowship program, and therefore a large network that its students can benefit from. But it is UNtrue that it's "near impossible" for you to get a fellowship if you didn't attend a top ranked school, provided that you are a strong candidate and are able to deliver that message sufficiently.
 
Dear IndustryPharmD,

I am thinking about between University of Kentucky and University of Tennessee. There is a MPH/Pharm.D program of University of Kentucky. While that master degree can help me to work at a pharmaceutical company, but I think it might be too much in 3 years, considering other commitments that I will have (work, clubs). Moreover, I tend to study in such detail for classes, so one class will take me longer than for others (I think). Does Pharm. D itself not sufficient for applying for fellowship or eventually working at a pharmaceutical company, as I'm still thinking about Pharm.D at University of Tennessee? I really wanna go to UT because, one of the biggest reason is no state income tax, and I've already got accepted. I still need to finish the supplemental for UK. Your reply would be highly valued!
 
I am setting up my APPEs right now. I have been planning on applying for the Rutgers Industry Fellowship, and I have a question for you. I will be 32 when I graduate with my PharmD, in yhttp://forums.studentdoctor.net/members/pharm57.750521/our honest opinion, do you feel that I am too old to be seriously considered?
 
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jafx said:
Have you tried applying for the overseas positions? A lot of the major Pharma companies have their headquarters overseas.
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Jafx, lets say if one manages to get into a position overseas, then what currency would one be paid in? I mean some companies have headquarters in Dubai and in Australia....and the currency over there is way less then USD if u look at the exchange rate......Just curious!
 
vicutza45 said:
1)The salary in the pharmaceutical industry is lower than in retail,isn't?But after working some years,can you get a high salary as in retail?
2)And generally...what is the best paid position,after graduating a pharmacy school or after some years of experience?
3)Do you need a MD or a Phamd's to work in industry..or to be a pharmacist manager?
Click to expand...

Salaries in pharma tend to be higher than retail for the band of jobs that is most probable after a fellowship (manager to senior manager) base salary + bonus + stock options. If you want to get an idea of what this may look like, search for '[insert pharma company name] manager' on GlassDoor

I have friends that started in pharma out of college with a B.S., out of pharmacy school without a fellowship into a contractor position, with a PharmD, with an MD - there's many entry points. An advanced degree opens more doors that are not open for non advanced degree holders though.
 
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In today's day and age, what's the best way for a new grad to get into industry or gov affairs? I'm very interested in these fields.
 
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