Pharmacy Viewpoint careers advice blog

Pharmacy “The UK is like nowhere else in the world for pioneering new chemical entities and developing innovative medicines.” In a recent episode of our global mobility series, we examined the prospects and opportunities for life science candidates in the United Kingdom, one of the priority destinations in today’s employment market. In this episode we hear from an industry pharmacist who moved to London from South Africa over ten years ago, and says she hasn’t looked back. Hammersmith Medicines Research is a Contract Research Organisation (CRO) specialising in Phase 1 and early Phase 2 studies, from protocol design to statistical analysis and report. Amanda Peter, Director of Pharmacy, has been working there for a year and a half, having previously worked as Associate Director of Regulatory Affairs and Pharmaceutical Sciences for Quintiles (another CRO) in London. What was your reason for relocating to the UK? Well, you can always find a job, but you don’t always find the love of your life! The man who is now my husband was living in London and I met him again after a 12-year gap on one of his trips back home to South Africa. How easy was it for you to find a job? It was challenging in the beginning. I’d been working for a Canadian pharmaceutical company doing regulatory affairs, and the current European equivalent of QP (Qualified Person) work, releasing batches of drugs to the commercial market. When I came to the UK, I had to re-qualify as a pharmacist, despite my South African degree and industry experience. That meant re-sitting exams and working for a time as a retail pharmacist, before I was free to move back into industry. Is it still as difficult for overseas pharmacists coming to the UK? It’s more difficult for some and easier for others. In around 2006, pharmacists from other European member states were given automatic recognition of their qualifications and this caused a glut to emerge. The UK then made it much harder for pharmacists from Commonwealth countries to work here. Now, pharmacists from South Africa have to complete the final year of a UK Pharmacy degree before being able to work here, while those from Australia and New Zealand have to do something like what I did. I know fully qualified pharmacists who have come to the UK from Commonwealth countries who are working as technicians because of this problem. Being so highly qualified, they make attractive employees, but it makes life difficult for them, at least for a time. What are the work prospects like in organisations like yours? Only a very small proportion of pharmacists who come to the UK work in industry â€" most work in retail. Those who do have the option to work in regulatory affairs, quality assurance, production, project management and clinical trial monitoring. Until now, the trend has been for QPs in the UK to have chemistry and biology degrees, ahead of pharmacy degrees. But now more pharmacists are training as QPs. In recent years, we’ve seen a trend towards contract QPs, as pharmaceutical companies move their manufacturing bases from the UK to India and China. A contract QP might be required to go to these countries to audit and ensure batches comply with standards equivalent to EU Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), where once they would have been employed on site here in the UK. Have you benefited from working in the UK? The UK is like nowhere else in the world for pioneering new chemical entities, developing innovative medicines and cutting-edge intellectual endeavour. I love working here. I have had the opportunity to work with molecules in Phase 1 I probably would not have seen in South Africa. The UK is still known for its expertise in conducting highly complex Phase 1 research, which attracts world class people and world class thinking. What do you like about living in London? I love living in London. I suppose it’s because I love my job and am happily married. London has so much to offer in so many respects â€" culturally, intellectually and historically. It’s a vibrant, cosmopolitan city where things work and function properly. We will forgive her for not having the best of weather! Are you interested in moving to London or elsewhere in the United Kingdom? Or maybe you’re already there and would like to comment on your experience. Either way, stay up to date with the latest news in life sciences across the globe by joining our LinkedIn group, Life Sciences Industry Insights with Hays  and follow us on Twitter  @HaysLifeScience