About Drug Safety
Our aim is to ensure that doctors prescribing our drugs have the most accurate and complete safety information possible, which helps them and their patients to make informed decisions about the relative benefits and risks of our medicines.
Drug Safety Personnel evaluate the evolving safety profile of medicines both during development in clinical trials, and after government approval for availability to the general public. This includes advising on the collection of safety data, and ways in which to reduce the risk of side-effects.
What does the job involve?
Drug Safety personnel are involved throughout the life-cycle of a medicine, from the time it is first discovered, through the clinical trials to test its effects in patients, to when it is available to the public and has been given to millions of people. Throughout this time, it is important to continually assess the safety profile of a medicine, to ensure that the benefits of taking it outweigh any safety concerns. The patient information leaflets supplied with every medicinal product are produced and maintained as a result of information provided by the Drug Safety Department
What kind of qualifications do I need?
Depending upon experience and qualifications there are various opportunities and levels of responsibility. For example, you may start by assessing individual patient reports, and then move on to reviewing cumulative databases to look for any patterns of side-effects and evaluating these. Drug Safety includes medically qualified doctors who are responsible for ensuring that the side effects of our medicines are accurately described in the prescribing information. There may be opportunities to train colleagues and for more experienced staff, opportunities also exist at a managerial level.
What kind of career opportunities will I enjoy?
You will need a medical or biomedical background, usually with a relevant degree or nursing qualification. Some staff have postgraduate qualifications such as a MSc or PhD, and some are medically qualified doctors.
Personal skills required include: good communication, attention to detail, flexibility, time management and organisational ability. You will also need to be well-motivated, and able to work independently. In addition, computer literacy is essential.
Where can I work?
Within AstraZeneca we have Drug Safety personnel at many of our sites, the main ones in the UK being Alderley Park in Cheshire, Luton and Charnwood in Loughborough. There are also sites in the USA, Sweden, France, Germany and Japan.
