The development of medical and pharmaceutical products requires precision, which means professionals with training in quality assurance can find their skills very much in demand for a variety of purposes.
Curious about where your training in pharmaceutical quality control could take you after you graduate? Here’s a quick look at a few of the specialized areas of the pharmaceutical space and beyond that rely on quality control experts, and the role these professionals play in those areas.
Pharmaceutical Manufacturing is a Key Area of Employ for QA Experts
Pharmaceuticals are both big business and a cornerstone of modern healthcare. According to Government of Canada data, close to $25 billion of pharmaceutical products are sold in Canada annually, with the most popular drugs helping individuals cope with arthritis, liver problems, vision loss, and other life-altering conditions.
Professionals with quality assurance training are needed across numerous important stages of development and manufacturing, helping monitor processes and ensuring completed work adheres to government and business requirements. Given the critical nature of pharmaceuticals, this role demands individuals with good attention to detail and the high level of training necessary to ensure strict compliance with all regulations.
Quality Assurance Training Is Hugely Important to Biotechnology
Pharmaceutical biotechnology is a branch of scientific research that uses living things or their by-products to produce medicine. Hormonal medication, antibiotics, and genetic cures are just a few examples of products that fall into the biotechnology category.
This is a growing area of medical interest, with modern gene editing technologies in particular opening up many new and potentially exciting avenues to cures and treatments. The same strict laws apply to these medicines as to more typical pharmaceutical products, though, so experts in quality assurance are required to oversee their development and ensure all products are safe and effective.
The Cosmetics Industry Has a Place for Graduates of Pharmaceutical Quality Control
The cosmetics industry is another economic powerhouse, claiming approximately $5 billion in Canadian sales for the year 2017, according to data from Statista. Though makeup might not seem to have much in common with pharmaceuticals, there are some important parallels between cosmetics and topical medicines like ointments or creams.
For example, both require a precise chemical balance to achieve the desired effect safely. A tanning lotion with an incorrect chemical balance, for instance, might produce a painful rash when applied to the skin. By hiring graduates of pharmaceutical quality control courses, cosmetics companies can better ensure that their products have consistent quality and produce reliable, safe effects.
Across pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and other industries besides, a particular system called “Good Manufacturing Practice” (GMP) is used to ensure this consistency and quality, so it’s important that any education toward a QA career includes mastering GMP. Look to schools like the Toronto Institute of Pharmaceutical Technology, which offers hands-on GMP training with state of the art equipment, for the best preparation for your future career.
Medical Device Manufacturing Is an Interesting Domain That Hires QA Professionals
“Medical device” is a broad term, technically including everything from standard bandages to scalpels to pacemakers, and beyond. As you might expect, all of these products must be produced in accordance with strict guidelines, ensuring predicable and safe function.
As technologies like robotics and 3D printing gain more traction in the medical device category in the years to come, quality assurance will become even more important to ensure that complex and personalized implements retain high levels of safety and quality. Graduates of top-tier quality assurance training programs are regularly recruited for roles in leading companies in this space, so if you love the idea of working at the cutting edge, completing a great training program can give you the start you need.
Do you want to take on interesting quality assurance work?
Contact Toronto Institute of Pharmaceutical Technology to sign up for pharmaceutical courses today!