This Pharmacovigilance certification program has been developed with an intention to match the expectations of employers who frequently hire pharmacovigilance and data management professionals. The program provides students with a stimulating learning experience and is completely industry oriented. This is an online program and the curriculum has been developed and evaluated by experienced professionals and is fully endorsed by the clinical research industry. This is not only suitable for fresh graduates but also equally appropriate for working professionals who wish to grow further in this field or for those who wish to move to pharmacovigilance or data management sector from any other related industry.
For aspirants to undertake a professional career in Pharmacovigilance, the minimum eligibility conditions for applying for the course are as follows:-
- Any degree in Bioscience / life science such as Biochemistry, Microbiology, Genetics, Biotechnology, Botany, Zoology etc.
- Any degree in Medicine such as MBBS, BDS, BAMS, BHMS, BPT, BUMS etc.
- Any degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences /pharmacy
- Any degree in Chemistry / Bioinformatics / Biostatistics
- Any degree in Nursing / Allied Health
- Any degree in Computer Science / IT
For any aspiring candidate to specialize and become DSS (Drug Safety Scientist), one needs to have the following skillset:
1. Knowledge of medical coding
2. Narrative and Scientific writing
3. Good understanding of medical terms
4. Basic knowledge of regulatory affairs, ICH-GCP, and other compliances
5. An eye for detail
6. Ability to maintain meticulous record
7. Excellent analytical & problem-solving skills
8. Effective communication
9. Systematic Approach to Tasks
10. Good interpretive skills
There is no shortage of jobs in this field as high quality Pharmacovigilance practice makes good business dealings. Students in this field can get offers for excellent career opportunities in Pharmaceutical companies, Biotechnology companies, Data Management companies, CRO’s, technology and IT consulting companies etc often recruit data management and drug safety professionals. Pharmacovigilance have witnessed increased outsourcing year on year to developing countries as they offer experienced and knowledgeable workforce at a lower operational cost.
India, China and Brazil are examples of countries where data management and pharmacovigilance sectors are currently thriving. Some companies having large volume of work are also setting up their own operations in these regions just to manage the backend data management and pharmacovigilance processes.
The Pharmacovigilance system team collects valuable additional information, building up the scientific data contained in the original report and making it more informative. The reporting of adverse events by pharmacovigilance system potentially benefits the community by their proximity to both population and health practitioners, in terms of language and knowledge. Hence, with the help of pharmacovigilance, patients recover from diseases and can manage optimally or ideally, avoid illness which is a collective responsibility of pharmaceutical industries, drug regulators, clinicians and other healthcare units to intensify their contribution to public health.