Pharmaceutical Engineering - Common Specialties

Common Specialties

• Pharmaceutical Development Sciences - broadly, assays or techniques for discovering, modifying, or designing drug substances or excipients; in particular, rational drug design - as a relatively recent alternative to traditional trial-and-error drug discovery processes - relies upon principles of engineering more than many other pharmaceutical sciences such as formulation or medicinal chemistry.

• Bio-/Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Science - optimal processes for producing drug substances & products with quality and efficiency

• Clinical Science - applying engineering principles toward conduct of studies to assess safety & efficacy, for the medical community and regulators

• Regulatory Science - scientific bases for regulatory decision-making (typically by the FDA, in the U.S.), with an emphasis on risk-benefit analysis

• Pharmaceutical Devices - designing instruments, tools, or implants which facilitate the making, handling, or use of drugs (e.g. drug delivery chips)

These specialties overlap with other engineering areas as well as non-engineering scientific and medical fields, although in all specialties Pharmaceutical Engineers tend to have a distinct focus on product and process design and quantitative analysis. And in addition to these technical areas, some pharmaceutical engineers pursue careers as business or legal professionals. Their scientific and engineering background is often suitable for careers in management, patent law, or even entrepreneurship - for example.