IPhO News

Company and Department: Taro Pharmaceuticals, Clinical Research

Current Role: Manager, Clinical Research

Alma Mater: Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers University 2013

If you are interested in entering the pharmaceutical industry, you may want to consider contract employment. I never imagined I would contract my way to a career in industry.

In the winter of 2012, during my last year of pharmacy school, I arrived at the Midyear meeting in Las Vegas, full of youthful optimism and hope for one goal: a fellowship. As an intern at an agency that provided medical writing services for pharmaceutical companies, I felt industry was the natural progression to pursue my interest in researching and applying scientific information to understand and develop drugs. However, despite great effort, my aspirations at the Midyear Clinical Meeting did not come to fruition.

During the Annual IPhO National Student Meeting On March 25, 2017 in San Francisco, CA, student pharmacists from Keck Graduate Institute (KGI) approached the stage in front of 200 fellow student IPhO members from across the United States to receive an award for their creativity and knowledge of the drug development process. The IPhO KGI chapter had just been awarded first place in the 1^st Annual VIP (Value of Industry Pharmacists) Case Competition, designed to test their pharmaceutical industry knowledge and skills through an industry-based case scenario—the first of its kind in the industry.

Many of the 48 chapters in the IPhO National Student Chapter Network participated in this unique challenge right from their very own campuses — how to create a comprehensive development plan for a new molecular entity, from initial concept all the way through to approval and marketing of the product. The case provided a brief description of a hypothetical new drug entity from which each participating chapter started this competition, and their commitment to identifying and applying their knowledge of the pharmaceutical industry commercialization process took the steering wheel from there. Each participating IPhO student chapter, with the support of PharmD Industry Fellows from the IPhO National Fellows Community, worked diligently over four months to develop a video presentation detailing their drug development plan. Importantly, each presentation included a description of the important role that pharmacists play in the new drug development process.

The IPhO VIP Case Competition enabled students to delve into multiple disciplines within the pharmaceutical industry including, but not limited to: Clinical Development, Medical Affairs, Regulatory Affairs, and Commercial functions. Each phase of the hypothetical drug’s lifecycle presented a unique challenge and enabled students to think outside the box and put their pharmaceutical industry skills to the test.

Why is this competition so valuable and unique? Since there are relatively few industry internships and APPE rotations available, many student pharmacists do not have the opportunity to learn about the career paths available to and well-suited for pharmacists in the pharmaceutical industry. This competition helps address the lack of experiential opportunities - by bringing the internship directly to them! It engages students to proactively seek knowledge about the industry and apply it to a real-life model of a drug in development.

The competition was very successful in its first year thanks to Dr. Matthew Schmidt, a Genentech Regulatory Affairs Fellow, and his innovative team of industry fellows listed below.

IPhO Student Development Committee Members

• Chair, Matthew Schmidt, Genentech Fellow
• Co-Chair, Sean Harrison, Regeneron Fellow
• Philip Armendi, Allergan Fellow
• Maria Cusano, Novartis Fellow
• Arielle Gabarda, ECIR Medical Communications Fellow
• Francisco Hernandorena, Janssen Fellow
• Phyllis Lee, GlaxoSmithKline Fellow
• Joe Naggar, Biogen Fellow
• Tae Oh, Allergan Fellow
• Gunjan Patel, Novartis Fellow
• Tej Patel, GlaxoSmithKline Fellow
• Monica Timmerman, Fresenius Fellow
• Shivani Vora, Eli Lilly Visiting Scientist Fellow

The IPhO Student Development Committee plays an integral role in growing and influencing the development of the next generation of industry pharmacists. They are responsible for advising, collaborating, and managing the activities of the IPhO National Student Chapter Network. While setting objectives and goals for the year, the Student Development Committee highlighted the need to revamp the Case Competition’s predecessor, the VIP Advocacy Challenge. Student feedback received clearly indicated a desire to learn more about the functional roles and dynamics within a pharmaceutical company while integrating the value that industry pharmacists bring to each of these roles. Under the strong guidance of IPhO’s national leadership, the idea for the Value of Industry Pharmacists (VIP) Case Competition was born.

According to IPhO Student Development Committee Chair Matthew Schmidt, “we wanted to challenge ourselves to develop an opportunity that not only encouraged spirited, collegial competition but also gave student pharmacists another avenue to actively learn more about industry career paths. What better way to do this than presenting students with a challenge that empowers them to understand how a pharmaceutical company operates? The competition was created to foster an understanding of the cross-functional process of developing and bringing a new drug to market, while considering the value that industry pharmacists bring to each functional area at each stage of development. Every chapter faced the same goal: design the best comprehensive development plan for a hypothetical molecule, with respect to its clinical development plan as well as regulatory, medical, and commercial strategies. What we saw was truly impressive! Interest in this competition by pharmacy schools across the country was widespread. More than 25 IPhO student chapters expressed interest in entering the competition, and 18 chapters officially submitting their drug development plan for consideration. We quickly witnessed the competition’s ability to inspire pharmacy students with little to no knowledge of the pharmaceutical industry, to conduct extensive research and to expand their professional network by reaching out to industry professionals. Student chapters without adequate industry resources now had an additional reason to participate in IPhO blogs/forums and engage in industry-focused conversations. The VIP Case Competition has already and will continue to enable the promotion of careers in the pharmaceutical industry and advocate for pharmacists in ALL industry functions.”

IPhO CEO James Alexander, who helped oversee the creation and execution of the 1^st Annual Case Competition, said "we are very grateful to Matt, his team, and the IPhO National Fellows Council for creating such an amazingly successful competition,” said Dr. Alexander. “I have no doubt that the IPhO VIP Case Competition will thrive and become one of our organization's centerpiece offerings for many years to come. It is clearly in line with our mission for our IPhO student pharmacist members, which is to help prepare them for a career in the pharmaceutical industry.” Dr. Alexander also added that, “we will seek to engage one or more pharmaceutical companies to support the 2017-18 competition and help student pharmacists learn more about the important role that pharmacists play in the drug development process.”

Building upon the great success of the 2016-17 competition, the IPhO National Fellows Council and the Student Development Committee are working to make the competition even better next year. The goal is to provide an even greater opportunity for pharmacy students nationwide to understand and experience the pharmaceutical industry, and to develop the next generation of student and industry pharmacist leaders.

Authored by Vineeth Nair, PharmD, Pfizer Post-Doctoral Fellow and Co-Chief, IPhO National Fellows Council

IPhO Announces Registration Open for the Comprehensive Industry Certificate Course: Commercialization of Pharmaceuticals From A to Z and the Role of Industry Pharmacists.

Learn more and/or register today: www.industrypharmacist.org/certificatecourse.php

To meet the growing demand in preparing student pharmacists, recent graduates, and young professionals interested in an industry career, IPhO is continuing to offer an Industry Certificate Course. If you don’t have access to an industry elective at your school or are a recent graduate or younger professional interested in transitioning to an industry career, including applying for industry fellowships or full time roles, then this certificate course is for you!

After a very successful first year in 2016 and high interest from many student pharmacists, recent graduates, and younger professionals from all regions of the country, IPhO has expanded and enhanced the program for the summer of 2017!

Fellowship Sponsor Company: ECIR Medical Communications

Function/Discipline: Medical Strategy & Communications

Fellowship Years: 2016-2017

Alma Mater: University of Florida College of Pharmacy, Class of 2016

My interests to provide patient care on a global scale formed during my first year in pharmacy school. I discovered my passion for population-based healthcare through my local and national involvement in AMCP, including the P&T Competition. Drawn to exciting nontraditional pharmacy routes, I became eager to explore unique ways that pharmacists provide value in the healthcare system and had the privilege of completing a rotation at the FDA. This experience allowed me to interact with policy leaders, introduced me to policy on clinical trial design, sharpened my holistic view of drug evaluation, and ultimately led to my decision to pursue a challenging and rewarding career in the pharmaceutical industry.

Fellowship Sponsor Company: MedImmune/AstraZeneca

Function/Discipline: Clinical Development

Fellowship Years: 2016-2018

Alma Mater: University of Maryland, Class of 2016

As the middle child and daughter of a career diplomat who has five children, born and raised in Cameroon, Switzerland, China, Saudi Arabia and France, I am always eager to explore opportunities, discover new things and distinguish myself.

On Saturday, March 25, 2017, 200 students from around the country assembled in San Francisco for IPhO's 4th Annual National Student Event, hosted by University of the Pacific's IPhO chapter.

Student leaders from many of IPhO’s 48 student chapters attended the E-board National Assembly, featuring an update on the exciting future plans IPhO has for the growing national network of student chapters.

Company and Department: Janssen, Medical Communications/Medical Affairs

Current Role: Medical Communication Specialist/Medical Writer: Hematology-Oncology

Alma Mater: Long Island University, Class of 2016

In recent times, career choices for pharmacists have evolved significantly. There are now many different areas in the healthcare system that pharmacists can work in. However, most students are not exposed to all the available opportunities during pharmacy school. After very detailed research on all types of different roles pharmacists can hold in the pharmaceutical industry, I knew that is where I wanted to pursue my career. To gain more exposure, I joined an organization related to pharmaceutical industry at my school. This organization helped me understand the roles and responsibilities of a pharmacist working in the industry. I later became a vice president of the organization, which allowed me to develop my leadership skills and use my knowledge to educate other students about industry career opportunities.

Fellowship Sponsor Company: Merck

Function/Discipline: Clinical Development (Late-Stage) - Oncology

Fellowship Years: 2016-2018

Alma Mater: Temple University, Class of 2016

My passion to pursue pharmacy and the pharmaceutical industry was the result of a very sad and life-changing experience. I was volunteering in a small town in Iran called “Bam” after a large earthquake struck the city. Many were left without adequate medical assistance, while facing a shortage of medical supplies and medications. I was studying Engineering at the time and never thought I’d change gears, but I did!

Company: Novocure
Current Role: Senior Vice President of the Americas
Alma Mater: University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Class of 2001

The driving force behind my career choices and professional advancement has been my gnawing desire to learn and to make a difference. My curiosity in life sciences drove me to pursue academic training in Pharmacy. Early on during my graduate training I wanted to learn more about non-traditional pathways where pharmacists could make an impact. Upon graduation I applied to a number of Fellowship programs in marketing, regulatory affairs and managed care. Much to my disappointment I was not selected by any of my top choices. I subsequently pursued residency programs in Medical Communications which landed me at Roche Labs. An important lesson I learned through the interviewing process for Fellowship programs was that there were many gaps in my skills and understanding of how the industry functioned.

With the increasingly prominent impact of social media on the daily lives of today’s society, one would be surprised to find that only a small handful of pharmaceutical companies utilize these new media markets. A major reason for this stems from the FDA’s ambiguous regulation of Internet and social media, leaving regulatory professionals with the task of making unclear interpretations from Draft Guidance documents and Warning Letters. Nevertheless, a recent study has shown that between 2013 and 2016, some of the top Pharma companies have strengthened their Twitter followership by nearly 300% while also increasing the average number of tweets by 530%.¹ Clearly, pharmaceutical firms are beginning to embrace social media, and moving forward, it is important to recognize the regulatory challenges that come with the increased scope of these new platforms.

Research led by IPhO National Intern and Oregon State University Chapter President, Marine Schmitt, spanning approximately one year culminated in a poster presentation at the ASHP Midyear Clinical Meeting on December 6, 2016. An encore presentation of the research can be found in the Scholarly Publications section of the IPhO website.

The project analyzed industry-related courses offered by Colleges of Pharmacy throughout the United States by reviewing student handbooks, course catalogs, and course syllabi. Relevant courses were categorized by topics of industry relevance including: HEOR, Preclinical Development, Clinical Development, Regulatory Affairs, Marketing and Medical Affairs. If courses provided a broad overview of pharmacists’ roles in industry, they were categorized as general industry courses.

Importantly, the results confirmed that the prevalence of industry-relevant courses is significantly higher in regions of highest geographical industry concentration. The highest percentage (52%) of pharmacy schools offering industry-relevant courses are located along the east coast, while the lowest percentage (14%) are located in the Pacific Northwest. Overall, 41% of colleges of pharmacy offered one or more industry-relevant courses, with the most common (26%) topic being Health Economics and Outcomes Research (HEOR).

Fellowship Sponsor Company: Pfizer (Rutgers)

Function/Discipline: Oncology Medical Affairs

Fellowship Years: 2016-2018

Alma Mater: University of Southern California, Class of 2016

I first encountered pharmacists working in industry long before pharmacy school. I was fortunate enough to discover the world of healthcare consulting agencies after obtaining my undergraduate degree from University of California at Berkeley. I majored in biochemistry and was fascinated by the mechanisms of action of different medications. Working for companies that provided deliverables for biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies opened my eyes to how industry operates. I worked primarily in drug reimbursement and eventually transitioned to work full time for one of our clients in South San Francisco, Genentech, on the commercial side of the business.