Career Spotlight: Pharma Regulatory Affairs

Pharma regulatory affairs professionals play an essential role in ensuring all pharmaceutical products comply with regulations governing the industry.

Those working in pharma regulatory affairs jobs not only work in the initial application phase for a new or generic drug, but also in the licensing and marketing stages – making sure all operations and products meet required safety and efficacy standards.

Professionals must combine knowledge of the business, legal and pharmaceutical industries to determine if regulations are being followed and in many cases form the link between pharma companies and regulatory authorities, such as the Food and Drugs Agency (FDA) and the European Union.

Regulatory affairs jobs in the UK and further afield are generally within the pharmaceutical, chemicals,biotechnology, medical devices and cosmetics industries. Organisations such as the FDA, also provide roles for those interested in working in the field.

As biotechnology plays an increasing role within drug development and the pharmaceutical industry, growing numbers of biotech regulatory affairs positions are opening up. Inspection of biotechnology facilities requires a high level of technical knowledge due to the ever advancing systems being used.

Pharma regulatory affairs jobs
Professionals working in pharmaceutical regulatory affairs roles will be required to handle a number of different tasks; from keeping on top of the latest developments within the industry to writing product labels and patent information.

As well as collecting and collating large amounts of information and preparing licensing submissions, pharma regulatory affairs jobs also include liaising with doctors and scientists, conducting clinical trials and negotiating with regulatory authorities.

Workers may also be tasked with undertaking and managing regulatory inspections within the company and reviewing practices when required to meet with new or updated regulatory requirements.

Opportunities for regulatory affairs consultants offer professionals the chance to work in a number of fields, which requires high levels of knowledge of multiple industries.

Jobs in pharma regulatory affairs generally require a background in the applicable industry, business knowledge, great oral and written communication, good attention to detail and strong IT skills.

The international scope of many companies working within the pharmaceutical industry mean that a second language is generally desirable, as it previous work experience within a clinical or pharma setting.

Pharma regulatory affairs jobs in India
Asia has emerged as a strong growth region for the pharmaceutical industry in recent years, in particular India which is fast becoming a preferred location for clinical trials and research and development activities.

The creation of a new product patent system in 2005 was a driver of this growth, which is expected to increase as the domestic market in India further opens up.

This growth has also helped facilitate an increasing number of pharma regulatory affairs jobs in India. A number of companies have set up in the most populous city in the country, creating a number of regulatory affairs jobs in Mumbai.

Figures from a companiesandmarkets.com report show that by the year 2012 the market for clinical trials in India is expected to grow to $630 million (£404 million), helped by the fact that the cost of conducting research in the country is sometimes less than half that in more developed nations.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is another country looking to expand its appeal to the pharmaceutical industry, increasing the number of pharma regulatory affairs jobs in Dubai.

A report by RNCOS suggests that compound annual growth of 17 per cent will take place between 2010 and 2013 and that the UAE is ripe for investment for pharmaceutical manufacturing operations.

Regulatory affairs

Regulatory affairs (RA), also called government affairs, is a profession within regulated industries, such as pharmaceuticals, medical devices, energy, and banking. Regulatory affairs also has a very specific meaning within the healthcare industries (pharmaceuticals, medical devices, biologics and functional foods).

Regulatory affairs professionals (aka regulatory professionals) usually have responsibility for the following general areas:

• Ensuring that their companies comply with all of the regulations and laws pertaining to their business.
• Working with federal, state, and local regulatory agencies and personnel on specific issues affecting their business. i.e. working with such agencies as the Food and Drug Administration or European Medicines Agency (pharmaceuticals and medical devices); The Department of Energy; or the Securities and Exchange Commission (banking).
• Advising their companies on the regulatory aspects and climate that would affect proposed activities. i.e. describing the "regulatory climate" around issues such as the promotion of prescription drugs and Sarbanes-Oxley compliance.^{[citation needed]}

Contents 1 Healthcare RA 1.1 Core competencies 1.2 Origins 1.3 Recent Developments 1.4 Future Developments 1.5 Regulatory Affairs Profession 2 References

Healthcare RA

The regulatory function in healthcare industries is vital in making safe and effective healthcare products available worldwide. Individuals who ensure regulatory compliance and prepare submissions, as well as those whose main job function is clinical affairs or quality assurance are all considered regulatory professionals.

Regulatory professionals are employed in industry, government and academia and are involved with a wide range of products, including:

• pharmaceuticals
• medical devices
• in vitro diagnostics
• biologics and biotechnology
• nutritional products
• cosmetics
• veterinary products^{[citation needed]}

The regulatory professional's roles and responsibilities often begin in the research and development phases, moving into clinical trials and extending through premarket approvals, manufacturing, labeling and advertising and postmarket surveillance.^{[citation needed]}

Core competencies

Regulatory professionals come from diverse backgrounds. Most regulatory professionals have earned a bachelor's degree, and more than half have an advanced degree, most often in a scientific or technical field. In addition, regulatory professionals usually have experience in other careers before transitioning into regulatory affairs.

Although there are some university degree and graduate certificate programs in regulatory affairs and related areas, experience is a key asset for regulatory professionals. Valuable skills include project management and organization, negotiation and communication, and the ability to learn from the experience of others, both inside and outside the organization.

Continuing education and professional development are critical to the regulatory professional. Regulatory professionals must keep up to date with regulatory policies and procedures for one or more countries, as well as maintain an understanding of the scientific and technical background of healthcare products.

For more information about the knowledge, skills and abilities of regulatory professionals, read the RAPS white paper, Regulatory Affairs Professional Development Framework: An Overview or see The Regulatory Career Advancement Guide.^{[citation needed]}

Origins

The healthcare industries were the first to be significantly regulated in the modern era. Much of this regulation has stemmed from avoiding the repetition of disasters, and has tended to be led by the USA due to size of the market and its technological lead:^[1]

• Diphtheria Epidemic led to 1902 Biologics Control Act
• Publication of The Jungle by Upton Sinclair led to 1906 Pure Food and Drugs Act
• Elixir of Sulfanilamide led to the 1938 Food Drug and Cosmetic Act
• Thalidomide led to the 1962 Kefauver-Harris Amendments
• Dalkon Shield led to the 1976 Medical Device Amendments
• Bjork-Shiley Heart Valves led to the 1990 Safe Medical Devices Act

In the USA, this regulation is largely written directly into law and codified in Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations^[2]

Recent Developments

in 1980 starting (later the European Union) started to harmonize the regulation of healthcare products in the member states.^[3] The concept of regulating medicines was well established in most member countries along similar lines to the US model, but many countries did not have any significant medical device regulation. Concurrently the EU had been developing the concept of [New Approach Directives] where only broad concepts were written into the law and the bulk of the technological detail delegated to compliance with recognized standards (which are more readily update-able).^[4][5][6]

The Europeans took the radical approach of applying the New Approach Directive to Medical Devices and by doing so made the first significant conceptual advance in healthcare regulation for nearly 100 years.

The European Model for medical device has largely been adopted by the Global Harmonization Task Force as the internation template.^[7]

Future Developments

Many in the Regulatory Affairs Profession believe the New Approach to regulation will eventually be adopted for all healthcare products as it represents the best model for delivering new healthcare advances to market in a reasonable time with acceptable safety.^[8]

Regulatory Affairs departments are growing within the companies. Due to the changing resources necessary to fulfill the regulatory requirements some companies also choose to outsource or outtask regulatory affairs to external service providers.^[9]

Regulatory Affairs Profession

The (Healthcare) Regulatory Affairs Profession is still an emergent profession but has two major international professional membership societies:

• The Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society, RAPS, http://www.raps.org
• The Organisation for Professionals in Regulatory Affairs, TOPRA, http://www.topra.org

which offer education and training, professional development, competence certification and codes of ethics.^[10][11]

In Canada, the major professional membership society is:

• The Canadian Association of Professional Regulatory Affairs, CAPRA, http://www.capra.ca

Groups related to regulatory affairs issues are active at many social networking websites like LinkedIn and Facebook. FarmavitaR, http://www.farmavitar.net/ ,is managing social networking website dedicated exclusively to regulatory affairs professionals.^[12]

The regulatory professional typically has a background relevant to the business in which they work, i.e., science, medicine, or engineering.

References

1. ^ United States Food and Drug Administration
2. ^ FDA Center for Devices and Radiological Health
3. ^ MeddiQuest Consultants Information Site
4. ^ Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (UK)
5. ^ Europa Medical Devices
6. ^ New Approach Organization
7. ^ Global Harmonization Task Force
8. ^ MeddiQuest: Internation Regulation Consultants Information Pages
9. ^ YES: Your External Support for Regulatory Affairs
10. ^ Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society
11. ^ The Organisation for Professionals in Regulatory Affairs
12. ^ FarmavitaR – Regulatory Affairs Network