“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Nelson Mandela.
During the early days as a student, I had very little knowledge in the product life cycle of a pharmaceutical product. The definition of a product life cycle begins from the development of the drug till the distribution of the finished product.
Studying the BSc (Hons) in Pharmaceutical Chemistry programme at IMU has certainly opened my eyes in this aspect and equipped me with the exact knowledge to venture into the pharmaceutical industry both in Malaysia as well as globally. Taking Pharmaceutical Engineering module as an example, we were introduced to various equipments used in the manufacturing process of pharmaceutical products.
While I was working as a Production Executive in one of the top pharmaceutical company, Glaxo Smith Kline, I had the opportunity to supervise the sieving process for the raw materials used in the manufacturing of ENO. Interestingly, IMU had a lab scale siever equipment which applied the same concept as an industrial grade siever.The knowledge that I had acquired during my study years really helped me to ease my way into effectively understanding the manufacturing process itself.
Another compelling experience that I can relate to is the problem-based learning (PBL) in IMU. In managing day-to-day operation, I encounter many situations where fast and precise response is required from multiple departments.
Equipped with a background in PBL, problem solving in the day-to-day operations seems effortless as long as the actions and decisions made are aligned with the company values. GSK has strong company values comprising Transparency, Respect, Integrity and Patient-Focused. Frequent engagement and guidance from the line manager would be the key in successfully maintaining safety, quality, and supply of the products to the market.
Apart from production, I also had the opportunity to join the Quality Assurance department for a local manufacturing company, Duopharma Manufacturing (Bangi) Sdn. Bhd. During my tenure here, the utmost activity is to ensure that the products are complying with the Good Manufacturing Practice guidelines and I had the opportunity to become a Quality personnel to observe the manufacturing and packing processes of the pharmaceutical products.
With the understanding that I had acquired during my study, I can emphasize to the shopfloor on the importance of correctly recording the data during the manufacturing process. It gives me a great satisfaction to share the knowledge with another person.
Personally, I would say that obtaining the Pharmaceutical Chemistry degree in IMU has enabled me to be equipped with the right knowledge to enter the pharmaceutical industry. This is aligned with the motto since the day I step foot in IMU which is to Become the Future of Better Healthcare.
I have a strong belief that if you are willing to learn and have the right attitude, you can achieve anything. Failures is a part of learning process, and it is important for us to know when to take a pause and recalibrate our career and journey. Hence, my advice to the newcomers in the Pharmaceutical Industry is to always keep an open mind to learn new things. We play an important role in serving the community because we never know that the products we manufactured or oversee might be consumed by our family members and close friends.
Written by Mohd Yusri bin Mohd Yusoff (PC113)
