They Do Well Who Do Good

They Do Well Who Do Good - Insights Into Japan's Pharmaceutical Industry P. Reed Maurer So, how would you inspire a young man or woman to pursue a career in the pharma industry? To make the decision this is where I want to be. The first bit of advice is to get into college and beyond because people working in the pharma industry are well educated, often in a profession. Think lawyer, doctor, biologist, pharmacist, chemist, engineer, or economist. No other industry employs such a wide variety of professional people under one roof. Pharma needs well educated people in human resources, public relations, sales, marketing, production, and the laboratory. Because the industry’s products come out of leading edge science, the first objective of a college education should be to learn how to learn because your career will be a lifetime learning experience. A second piece of advice is to appreciate the pharma industry is heavily regulated. Its products are approved by government agencies. Product prices are regulated, as are its manufacturing processes and promotional material. Recognize that regulations and the very nature of the drug discovery process require long term versus short term planning. This is not a flavor of the month business. It is a paradox. Although heavily regulated the industry depends on innovation to succeed. New products are not discovered in government laboratories. Small companies based on new technologies emerge all the time. Collaboration with universities and research institutes is a dynamic process that involves individuals with new ideas and venture capitalists who want to make a return on money invested in these ideas. A third advice is to figure out where you are comfortable living and with whom. The pharma industry is international versus local. No country has a monopoly on brains or innovation. People everywhere on this globe need medicine when they are sick. Doctors, the industry’s primary customers, are first taught how to diagnose an illness, and then how to treat it. Treatment options are plentiful in most cases. The country of origin of a drug is much less important than its effectiveness and safety. People of all races, religions, and cultures have hypertension, infections, and mental disorders. Given these characteristics of the industry, what kind of people should be advised this is not where they want to be? The first are those who are not the brightest bulbs on the tree, that is people who do not like to learn, do not like to be around intelligent people, or do not like anything new. Remember there are so-called well educated people that fit into this category. Second are those who never outgrew their childhood desire for instant gratification. They want everything now. Patience is not a virtue. Long term planning is a bore. All that matters is short term. Third are people who stay close to home and are suspicious of those with a different color, religion, or culture. They build walls instead of bridges. Money is the ultimate measure of success, and ethical behavior is OK as long as it does not prevent them taking advantage of the other guy. I suspect that even with good intentions advice to help a young person decide on what he or she wants to be is like water off a duck’s back. At the end of the day the best way to influence someone is to set a good example. The kind of people the industry needs will be put off by examples of greed, poor quality control, falsification of data, and sales tactics akin to medicine men in a circus. But they will be inspired by new drugs that cure intractable diseases, vaccines that prevent epidemics and remedies that alleviate the symptoms of asthma and allergies. They will be enticed by the thrill of bringing innovations out of the laboratory and into clinical practice. If a young person wants to help humans leave this earth and explore the universe, NASA is a good choice. If a young person wants to help sick humans get out of bed and lead a productive life the pharma industry is a good place to be.