💉 Just Medicine, or the Future? Pharmacy and Behind the Scenes

Pharmacists:

They’re most commonly known as the people who work with medicine at CVS or Walgreens, but there is so much more to know about this fascinating profession. They not only work in said pharmacies but many other locations too, performing many different tasks while doing so.

Overview:

Generally speaking, “A pharmacist is a health care professional who prepares and dispenses medications needed to treat illnesses and improve patient quality of life” (Coursera Staff). 

So, what do they do?

One of the main tasks that a pharmacist does is to dispense prescriptions after receiving an order from a doctor. They are experts on the types of medicine and the effects that each specific type can have on the human body. While prescribing medication, they will verify the dosage, ensure if it will interact with other medications safely, verify the patient is not at risk, and monitor side effects. Other than fulfilling prescriptions, they also:

• Give Vaccines

• Teach patients on how to safely consume medicine

• Collaborate with doctors and other medical professionals

• Basic wellness screenings

• Manage the pharmacy

• Maintain customer records

• Recommend over the counter medication

Types of Pharmacists and What They Do:

Community Pharmacists: These pharmacists work in drug stores, grocery stores, and big-box stores. They dispense medications, provide vaccinations, and educate their patients about their medications, illnesses, over the counter medications, etc.

Clinical Pharmacists: These pharmacists work in hospitals, clinics, or other similar locations. They provide direct care to patients such as recommending medications, overseeing/adjusting doses, and conducting medical tests. They can specialize in areas such as critical care, pediatrics, geriatrics, cardiology, and transplants.

Oncology Pharmacists: These pharmacists work mainly in hospitals and medical facilities. They dispense chemotherapy drugs, research treatments, and review drugs that the hospital uses for cancer patients.

Nuclear Pharmacists: These pharmacists work in hospitals and medical facilities. They mainly prepare radioactive materials for procedures such as MRI’s and CT scans.

Ambulatory Care Pharmacists: These pharmacists work in clinics and doctors offices, collaborating with physicians to treat common chronic conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure.

Consultant Pharmacists: These pharmacists provide consulting services to hospitals, insurance companies, and other healthcare centers to optimize the efficiency and quality of pharmacy services at those locations. They can also communicate with patients about prescription management.

Pharmaceutical Industry Pharmacists: These pharmacists work in the industry and dont have as many interactions with patients. They’re often involved in research and the development of new types of medicine, or things such as sales and marketing.

These are some of the specific types of pharmacists, and there are many more you can learn about!

Pharmacists Role in Science and Healthcare:

The pharmaceutical industry works with many other healthcare fields and the government to improve drug therapy treatments. They enhance the healthcare system with their deep understanding of science and contribute to more complex drug therapy treatments.

In addition, they have a great impact on areas such as chronic disease management, primary care, mental health, and aging populations. As in the pharmacy field, they contribute information to drug development and clinical research, expanding scientific knowledge in the healthcare field and improving treatments. Monitoring patients and drug use helps to identify issues early on to prevent serious illness. The healthcare field benefits greatly from their work in managing medications and more, which helps in decreasing healthcare costs and contributes to an improved overall clinical system.

As pharmacists also do a large amount of medical and scientific research, there have been two examples of scientific outbreaks from mayo clinic researchers:

1. New treatment options for patients with melanoma

Kristi Franta, Pharm.D.,  is a clinical hematology/oncology pharmacist, and was part of a team that conducted several studies about melanoma. They developed an investigational device to combat this type of metastatic melanoma. At last, they formed a phase 1 clinical trial that was able to use experimental cancer drugs on people. This phase tested the safety, side effects, and dose timing for the new treatment. This study also aims to test the best ways to administer treatment, such as by the mouth, infusion into a vein, or injection.

2. Personalized cancer vaccines

Vanessa Toncray, Pharm.D, is a research pharmacist who works on clinical trials. She is part of a team of researchers working on a trial of a personalized vaccine for patients with advanced cancerous tumors. These types of vaccines are customized to a specific individual's needs and benefit them to a larger amount than normal generalized vaccines. Research pharmacists are critical in the development of research protocols and engage in clinical trials guided by the FDA. This type of pharmaceutical research helps contribute to cancer research and more scientific breakthroughs to come about many other diseases similar to this.

In addition, pharmacists are studying how genes affect the body’s response to medication, also called pharmacogenomics. This helps healthcare professionals make more educated prescriptions and researches to come up with more efficient treatments to diseases.

How is the Field Expanding?

The global pharmaceutical industry is experiencing significant growth led by shifting demographics, technological innovation, and evolving healthcare demands. A longer life expectancy and aging populations are key motivating factors in this growth, with a large older population. 

This industry is doing great economically, with revenues totaling around $1.6 trillion in 2023, according to statista. Generics, consumer healthcare, and specialty pharmaceuticals act as the three major sources of income. 

AI is also making its way into the research aspect of the field, and is accelerating the development of new treatments and reducing costs, estimates stating that it could generate $60 billion to $110 billion annually in economic value. It also optimizes logistics and makes statistics and data management easier for pharmacists.

E-commerce and preventive healthcare are also experiencing growth. E-commerce and online pharmacies offer convenience with digital prescription management and delivery services, and the pharmacy market is on track for significant expansion for the upcoming years. Preventive healthcare such as wellness products, vitamins, supplements, grow the economic revenue in the field. 

In conclusion, the pharmaceutical industry offers opportunities for companies that balance cost efficiency, market expansion, and innovation. Growing education and increased access to the field causes even more individuals to contribute to pharmacy. New technological innovations improve research and help create a bigger impact on the civilian population and public health field. Although the pharmaceutical industry faces challenges like heavy competition, it is still growing greatly overall and is set to continue to do so the next couple years.

                                                                    Works Cited

What Do Pharmacists Do? Roles and Responsibilities. (2023, May 28). Bouvé College of Health Sciences. https://bouve.northeastern.edu/news/what-do-pharmacists-do-roles-and-responsibilities/

The state of the Pharmaceutical Industry: Growth Drivers, AI Disruption, and Competitive Strategies. (2024). Dialecticanet.com. https://www.dialecticanet.com/blog/the-state-of-the-pharmaceutical-industry-growth-drivers-ai-disruption-and-competitive-strategies

Staff, C. (2022, November 29). What Does a Pharmacist Do? Job Duties, Salary, and More. Coursera. https://www.coursera.org/articles/pharmacist

Kehrer, J. P., Eberhart, G., Wing, M., & Horon, K. (2013). Pharmacy’s role in a modern health continuum. Canadian Pharmacists Journal : CPJ, 146(6), 321–324. https://doi.org/10.1177/1715163513506370

Kelly, G. (2023, June 3). Science Saturday: Pharmacists play key role in clinical research - Mayo Clinic News Network. Mayo Clinic News Network. https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/science-saturday-pharmacists-play-key-role-in-clinical-research/