Physicians' roles in biopharmaceutical industry for global competition

Park, Min Soo

Abstract

Physicians with their medical background and high caliber play key roles in a wide variety of areas in biopharmaceutical industry. In fact when we look though the array of people in most global pharmaceutical companies, it is easy to find physicians working in various areas, playing various roles, at different levels such as medical affairs, R&D, clinical operations, marketing, regulatory, pharmacovigilance, etc. Conventional doctor-patient relationship is essential to deliver medical care to individual patients. However, for any treatment to be delivered to patients, there are many physicians working in the industry to make that possible by developing new drugs, making sure they are safe and effective, setting values to new treatments, figuring out ways to lower cost and increase accessibilities, assessing adverse effects to minimize risks, making policies, and so on. In Korea, however, although the situation is getting better nowadays, physicians have themselves limited their scope of involvement in biopharmaceutical industry. The lack of necessary medical expertise is widespread throughout all aspects. Regulatory agencies, pharmaceutical and medical policy making bodies, pharmaceutical companies, bio-venture companies, clinical and preclinical contract research organizations, health information technology industry, medical devices companies, all are in need of physician participation. Global biopharmaceutical industry is one of the most competitive areas that only the toughest can survive. Korea is aiming to become one of the world leaders in this field as we have achieved in IT, electronic, and automobile industries. Physicians' commitment can make the difference.