Recruitment - Articles

In an earlier field report, we looked at some of the issues surrounding manufacturing process instructions (MPIs) and manufacturing process records (MPRs). I want to look at the issue of recording data in MPRs in more detail, as the format of your MPR has a huge impact on its usability and therefore the error rate.
There are a number of different aspects to data recording and formatting. Each is considered separately below. Overall structure Structure is important for two reasons: it helps your users find their way around, and it can help to reduce the number of signatures required in the document.The structure of your MPR is necessarily related to the structure of your MPI; indeed, the two may be combined as one document. If your instructions are just that – a list of instructions with n…

Paul Hawkins, the General Secretary for the Health and Beauty Association, tells us his philosophy for career progression and how the H&BA’s new website will help them to progress. The website itself promotes HBA’s attempt to bring Health and Beauty companies together in debating and discussing how to develop and adapt the industry to meet changing customer and consumer needs. Paul hopes the move towards e-business will do just that.
Focus On: Paul Hawkins Paul Hawkins, the General Secretary for the Health and Beauty Association, tells us his philosophy for career progression and how the H&BA’s new website will help them to progress.  The website itself promotes HBA’s attempt to bring Health and Beauty companies together in debating and discussing how to develop and adapt the in…

You may not exactly be breaking into the gold vaults at Fort Knox, scaling the heights of MI5 à la James Bond or hacking into The Pentagon security system, but you want to enter the pharmaceutical industry, which can be nearly as difficult.
You may not exactly be breaking into the gold vaults at , scaling the heights of MI5 à la James Bond or hacking into The Pentagon security system, but you want to enter the pharmaceutical industry, which can be nearly as difficult.  However, the industry is currently undergoing rapid growth and development providing interest and opportunity for the feisty new graduate.  Despite this, available positions are limited and competition is fierce so you have to demonstrate that enthusiasm, drive and ability you know you have.  Read up and be k…

Candidate Profile: Paul Collins Current Job Title: Clinical Project Manager II Department: Clinical Commenced with ICON: July 1997
Candidate Profile: Paul Collins Current Job Title:  Clinical Project Manager II Department: Clinical Commenced with ICON: July 1997 Paul Collins is a Clinical Project Manager II at ICON and has worked for them since July 1997.  Paul explains the reasons for the longevity of his career at ICON and why he enjoys the working environment so much he has stayed there for nine years.  Paul answers our questions and describes his step by step journey to the top of the career ladder, recounting the support and development he received at every rung. 1. Can you summarise your career history with ICON? I started with ICON as a student during m…

Andy Sarfas is our mover and shaker of the week. He is the Global Internet Business Manager for Reckitt Benckiser.
Focus On: Andy Sarfas   Andy Sarfas is our mover and shaker of the week.  He is the Global Internet Business Manager for Reckitt Benckiser and is responsible for consumer portfolios ranging from household to healthcare, for example popular products Calgon and Clearasil.  Reckitt Benckiser’s values are summed up in four simple words: Achievement, commitment, entrepreneurship and teamwork, which Andy believes is reflected in their commitment to the development of online marketing.  Andy tells us how he enjoys the travel this role allows him to partake in, (but admits he is less thrilled with travelling to and from every day), and discusses the future of mar…

David Mitchell is the Commercial Director at McNeil Consumer Healthcare, a company that produces remedies for self-treatment available at pharmacies and supermarket stores.
Focus on: David Mitchell Every week we will be providing a light hearted focus on the movers and shakers in the Pharma industry.  We will be quizzing them about their thoughts on e-business and its future in the industry, whilst also divulging some trivia about their personal lives.  David Mitchell is the Commercial Director at McNeil Consumer Healthcare, a company that produces remedies for self-treatment available at pharmacies and supermarket stores, an area he feels will become ever more significant over the next few years. David answers our questions this week, giving us an insight into everything from hi…

Alex Bishop is the IT Business Manager at Pfizer, the largest supplier of medicines to the NHS.
Focus on: Alex Bishop Alex Bishop is the IT Business Manager at Pfizer, the largest supplier of medicines to the NHS.  Pfizer has an extensive range of prescription only medicines treating diseases such as infections, arthritis, depression, heart disorders, and certain types of cancer.  With the motto, “life is our life’s work”, Pfizer strive to lengthen and enrich people’s lives by providing them with better health. This week Alex talks to us about his love of the industry, his love of sport and his aspirations for love in his personal life.   1. Where and when did you start out in the industry? I started out in the Pharmaceutical Industry with Warner Lambert (remember…

Manufacturing Instructions and Records: Operators are expected to follow manufacturing instructions to produce a product that meets the required specification. Typically these instructions will be written by technical experts, the chemical engineers who were responsible for the technology transfer, the process validation and so on.
Manufacturing Instructions and Records Operators are expected to follow manufacturing instructions to produce a product that meets the required specification.  Typically these instructions will be written by technical experts, the chemical engineers who were responsible for the technology transfer, the process validation and so on.  They may be comprehensive and detailed, but that doesn’t make them good. Manufacturing process instructions (MPIs) are…

Networking: What is it and How do you do it?
What is networking?A definition is provided by the Oxford Dictionary: network n. & v. a group of people who exchange information, contacts, and experience for professional or social purposes. You might consider networking to make new friends, find a new job, develop your current career, explore new career options, obtain referrals or sales leads, or simply to broaden your professional horizons. Whatever the reason, it is important to focus on networking as an equal exchange of information, contacts or experiences.Networking helps you make connections in a personal context to build relationships of support, respect and to create mutual benefits. It is a skill set no serious professional can be without.Networking StepsEarly Bird – Much of th…

Doctors taking part in a survey on Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) management have called for clear and consistent guidelines on diagnosis and treatment of the condition to be drawn up as a matter of urgency. The survey was sponsored by Eisai Europe Ltd and Pfizer Inc, who market the cholinesterase inhibitor Aricept (donepezil), and was presented during the International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders.
Call for guidelines on when to stop or continue drug treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease Doctors taking part in a survey on Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) management have called for clear and consistent guidelines on diagnosis and treatment of the condition to be drawn up as a matter of urgency.  The survey was sponsored by Eisai Europe Ltd and Pfizer Inc, who market the c…

Hints and Tips: Survive in the Work Place Part Two
It’s good to talkPeople like it when you take time to call. A five minute phone call can do the work of several emails because you can hear someone’s tone of voice and gauge reaction.Plan to talkJust because the phone is an informal medium you can still plan an agenda of the points you need to cover and decide what information you need from the other person.Be politeIf your mobile rings during a land-line call, forward it to voicemail. Taking the call is equivalent to looking over someone’s shoulder while they are talking with you.Record itWhen you’ve had an important call, commit to paper what’s been said and agreed.Writing a one page overviewAn executive summary is all most people want or have time to read to make an informed decision o…

Hints and tips to survive in the work place
Get a head startAsk for information to be sent in advance of your start day about the company, products and projects you’ll be working on.What to wearPlan what you're going to wear during the first week so you don’t have to think about it.Plan your journeyPlan the journey you'll take and alternative routes in case of traffic problems or delays.Best behaviourOnce you’ve made it to your new workplace, take a deep breath, walk in with a smile and make gentle eye contact, be upbeat, polite and friendly to everyone you meet.Use your RadarThe main weapon in the fight against office politics is good communication. The more everyone shares the same information, the more difficult it is to play politics with it.Be good at your jobPeople play politics beca…

Hints and tips for job hunting
Self AssessmentThink about how you and others see you - be honest about strengths and weaknessesDefine what you think you have to offer a prospective employerIdentify your achievements in your career to dateSet your Career and Life GoalsThink about where you want to be in the short, medium and long termPlan the steps you need to take you closer to your goalDon’t just concentrate only on career objectives but also your personal onesMarket YourselfUpdate your CV and prepare a template covering letter as your personal advertIf you need help – ask a Recruitment ConsultantStart to apply for suitable rolesAdvertisements / The InternetJobs are traditionally advertised in specific trade publications and Pharma pressThe Internet is faster and you can search for what su…

Clinical Professionals offers clients a unique ‘suite’ of candidate attraction tools that are proven to be invaluable to employers in the highly competitive clinical recruitment market with a specialist headhunting team, which proactively searches for the rarest talent in the marketplace on an ongoing basis.
Clinical Professionals Limited is an innovative company addressing clinical research in a unique fashion.  Our management team incorporates industry experience, in-depth clinical knowledge coupled with over 10 years pharmaceutical recruitment expertise to focus on attracting the highest calibre clinical research professionals to selected opportunities within the pharmaceutical industry. We will always work ethically, and consultatively to ensure that the service is customer focused…

Data presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting in Atlanta this month suggest that administering the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor Erbitux (cetuximab) fortnightly rather than weekly in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) is a feasible option. Another study probing whether scaling up the dose, to the point where patients experience the significant rash linked to long survival, achieves a better response, shows high doses are well tolerated.
Administering treatment in community oncology units achieves results that match those of specialist centres, according to the MABEL study; and phase III trials in the US and Europe are now focusing on investigating Erbitux as a first-line therapy option for mCRC.  Fortnightly regimen could make life eas…

Osteoarthritis is the leading cause of disability in the US, and is estimated to be the eighth most common cause of disability worldwide, with around 89 million adults in the seven major markets having a form of symptomatic osteoarthritis. OA therefore offers an attractive commercial target. However, relatively low disease awareness and Cox-2s controversy have curbed the market's potential so far.
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degeneration of the joints characterized by progressive destruction of articular cartilage and articular structures. It is a complex process that involves multiple changes in joint structure and, according to Datamonitor estimates, affects 89 million adults in the seven major pharmaceutical markets. Due to the current widespread nature of the condition, the World Health…

Psychiatrists attending this year’s Annual Psychiatric Association meeting heard new findings from the controversial CATIE (Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness) programme. New data suggest an older typical antipsychotic drug is more cost effective and has the same cognitive benefits as newer atypical drugs. Previous results suggested the older first generation drug is equally effective and well-tolerated clinically, compared to newer atypicals but the study design was m
In December 2005, the New England Journal of Medicine published the first results of the CATIE (Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness) (1).  The 18-month, double-blind study, funded by the US National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), compared an older and much cheaper ty…

Colin Williams, e-Marketing Director at PharmiWeb Solutions takes a look at the current e-detailing landscape and suggests what the future could hold for this much talked about tool for pharmaceutical sales and marketing departments.
Introduction - e-detailing, eDetailing, e-detail, eDetail, v-Detail, online detail…. Whatever you call it, there has been no escaping it over the past few years and with more people than ever who are connected with the pharmaceutical industry talking about it, this is only set to get worse…or better in my opinion! I’ve been involved in e-detailing since the heady dotcom days of 2000 and have been providing solutions for the pharmaceutical industry since then. While my frustrations with how long it has taken the industry to take full advantage of e-detailing hav…

DailyUpdates 19th May, 2006: Today's edition of DailyUpdates (see it in full here) carries a couple of important articles on renal disease. One loks at the outcome of patients with renal dysfunction across various acute coronary syndromes. The featured article however demonstrates the efficacy of Novartis' Benazepril in treating advanced renal disease
DailyUpdates 19th May, 2006: Today's edition of DailyUpdates (see it in full here) carries a couple of important articles on renal disease. One loks at the outcome of patients with renal dysfunction across various acute coronary syndromes. The featured article however demonstrates the efficacy of Novartis' Benazepril in treating advanced renal diseaseBenazepril offers hope to patients with advance renal disease - Angiotensin-converting-enzym…

Without treatment, an estimated one in three women will experience an osteoporosis-related fracture during their lifetime
Without treatment, an estimated one in three women will experience an osteoporosis-related fracture during their lifetime (1). The risk of fracture can be substantially reduced by oral nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates such as alendronate (Fosamax) and risedronate (Actonel).  However, although these are widely prescribed, they are not widely adhered to by patients. At least half to three quarters of women stop treatment within one year (2).  Reasons for poor adherence are generally ascribed to inconvenience and, in part, to upper gastro-intestinal (GI) side effects which are thought to affect around one in five.  Dosing is complicated. Tablets have to…