Pharma sciences in vogue, experts say

PUNE: Advent Of Foreign Firms, Research Organizations Have Increased Demand For Manpower Pharmacy courses are bound to see an increase in the number of students this admission season in Maharashtra, education experts say.

With foreign pharmaceu With foreign pharmaceutical companies opening their research and development centers in and around Pune along with the availability of renowned research institutes like the National Chemical Laboratory and Serum Institute, Pune can be called a new hub of Pharma sector after Mumbai and Bangalore.

K R Mahadik, principal of Poona College of Pharmacy , agreed on this emerging trend of students choosing pharmaceutical sciences over engineering. “There is an increase in students op ting pharmacy over the years. As far as our college is considered, a majority of our students go for placements in various companies and research organizations. They get placed in various sectors within pharmacy like quality assurance, manufacturing and regulations. Even ITITES industries have started increasingly recruiting students who have done a graduation or masters in pharmacy ,“ Mahadik said.

He added, “About 40% of our students also opt to do their masters. Of these students, about 10% to 15% students have started opting for masters abroad. There is a lot of industry demand for students who are specialized in a particular field of pharmacy.“

Anant Sardeshmukh, di rector-general of Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture, said companies are looking at integrating electronics, pharmacy and biotechnology. “For example, there is a huge need for standardized cheap medical instruments.This is a niche thing, and only an integration of all the above fields can produce good quality medical instruments and equipment. Another tremendous scope is in the biotech and bioengineering fields, where there is also a need for specialized pharma students,“ Sardeshmukh added. Ashwini H completed her graduation and post-graduation in pharmacy and is now working for a multinational company as a drug safety associate. Talking about the need for finishing masters and knowing a basic computer language, Ashwini said, “It is hard to find employment immediately after graduation, especially if the college does not have an established placement cell. But after masters, I had gone for a walk-in interview and got selected for the post of data analyst. Soon after, there was an opening in another company for drug safety and I got through.“

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