Pharmaceutical biotechnology professionals conduct research and development to create new drugs, vaccines, and drug delivery systems. Jobs include scientific researchers, engineers, clinical directors, technicians, technical writers, and product sales representatives. They read scientific journals, attend conferences, design studies, and test drugs in clinical trials before mass distribution. Technical writers produce manuals and guidelines, while sales representatives work with distributors, physicians, and hospital administrators to explain new products.
An important sector of the pharmaceutical industry is dedicated to exploring the potential of biological organisms and substances in the creation of new drugs, vaccines and drug delivery systems. Professionals in pharmaceutical biotechnology positions engage in intense research and development to discover new information about genetics and apply cutting-edge techniques to manufacturing efforts. There are many different types of pharmaceutical biotechnology jobs, including scientific researchers and engineers, clinical directors and technicians, technical writers, and product sales representatives.
Many pharmaceutical biotechnology jobs are performed by highly trained scientists and research assistants. Professionals read thousands of pages of scientific journals and attend regular conferences to learn about the latest innovations in genetics and pharmacology. They also come up with new hypotheses and design original studies to see how different types of drugs might be effective in fighting genetic diseases. A scientist might, for example, hope to create a drug that can correct a very particular type of enzyme deficiency. He or she may try to create a synthetic enzyme or isolate a biological substance that can infiltrate and repair damaged genes.
Research and development engineers and their assistants work alongside scientists to put hypothetical ideas into practice. They physically create drugs and vaccines and rigorously test them under strict laboratory conditions. Engineers record data about their experiments and predict how effective their creations will be on human patients. They try to identify potential side effects and drug interactions and determine the most appropriate dosage amounts.
Once a drug is deemed safe, it can be tested in clinical trials. Directors and technicians in pharmaceutical clinical biotechnology jobs design studies to test drugs in volunteer participants. They carefully select similar subjects and control for as many variables as possible. Most trials are done with experimental groups given the new drugs and control groups given placebos to determine whether the drug has a measurable effect. Trials can last for years before a biological medicine is approved for manufacturing and mass distribution.
Technical writers and sales personnel also perform important pharmaceutical biotechnology work. Writers produce detailed manuals for physicians to refer to, as well as guidelines for patients and consumers. Sales representatives work with distributors, physicians, and hospital administrators to explain new products and offer samples. They also receive feedback that can be passed on to scientists, engineers and clinicians so they know if doctors and patients have any concerns about their medicines.
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