Episode 59: Unlocking Non-Laboratory Career Opportunities in Pharma

The pharmaceutical industry is often associated with laboratory-based roles, where scientists conduct experiments and develop new drugs. However, the sector also offers numerous non-laboratory career opportunities crucial to its success. These roles, which range from regulatory affairs to marketing, ensure that pharmaceutical innovations are safe, accessible, and commercially viable. One prominent non-laboratory career path is Patent examiner, who plays a vital role in the innovation ecosystem by evaluating patent applications to ensure that new inventions are novel and non-obvious. Another career path is Regulatory affairs. Regulatory affairs professionals ensure that new drugs comply with global health regulations and standards. They work closely with regulatory bodies such as the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and EMA (European Medicines Agency), preparing the necessary documentation and data to support drug approval. In this week’s episode, we dive deep into the inspiring journey of two experts from the careers as mentioned earlier: Dr Yi Ling Low - Patent examiner at IP Australia, and Savitha Balakrishna - Regulatory Affairs Associate at Swisse Wellness. Tune in to learn more about this insightful and inspiring conversation on the non-laboratory careers in pharma, which offers a broad range of opportunities for those interested in contributing to the healthcare field without working in a research lab. These roles ensure the smooth functioning of the industry and provide diverse, impactful career paths for individuals passionate about healthcare, science, and business. 0:00 Intro 0:20 Welcome 2:35 Introduce yourselves and your careers 5:05 What motivated you to move into a more desk-based role? 7:15 What skills did you gain from your lab experience that are transferrable to you desk-based position? Did you encounter any unexpected challenges moving from the lab to a desk job? 9:56 Could you describe for us what a typical day in your role might look like? 11:17 What about you Savitha, did you have a similar experience of life-long learning in your current role? 13:25 What's your favorite part of working in this role at the moment Savitha? 14:37 Are there any aspects of lab work that you miss as its not a permanent role of your job at the moment? 15:38 Yi Ling, what do you enjoy most about your current job in a desk-based role and what aspect of lab work do you miss? 17:43 How does career growth look like in the space of regulatory affairs? 19:37 Yi Ling, do you see any parallels in career growth in the space of patenting? 21:26 Savitha, do you experience any daily challenges in your role? 24:35 What advice do you have in terms of keeping up with changing regulations that are being constantly made? 26:10 What key skills or qualities are most important for succeeding in your role Savitha and how can students or graduates work towards developing these skills? 29:20 Yi Ling, Are the key skills or qualities for your role similar to what Savitha has discussed? 32:26 For those that are considering transitioning from other areas of industry to the regulatory affairs space, what advice would you give them or students? 35:55 Yi Ling, what advice do you have for those in the industry who are considering going into patenting? 39:06 Conclusion Q&A 39:40 Have you found that there's a big difference between quality and regulatory affairs fields in terms of what you do day-to-day? How did this transition come about? 41:38 For people looking for their first job, what kind of opportunities are there in your field Savitha? 42:50 Yi Ling, did you jump straight into your position or did you do any training programs or internships post-phd? 44:40 How did you find moving roles within Swisse? Was that an easier transition compared to applying for a regulatory affairs role elsewhere? 46:49 Acknowledgement of country 47:00 Outro Visit our website to find all the platforms we're on! https://doseofpharma.wordpress.com/ Riviera by Smith The Mister https://smiththemister.bandcamp.com Smith The Mister https://bit.ly/Smith-The-Mister-YT Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/al-riviera Music promoted by Audio Library    • Riviera – Smith The Mister (No Copyright M...