How to Become a Drug Inspector

About Drug Inspector

A Drug Inspector is a professional in the field of Pharmacy who is an expert in monitoring and executing efficiency, safety, quality and usefulness of drugs from the production stage to the final i.e, selling stage. With the rapid growth in the Indian Pharmaceutical industry, this field is experiencing a lot of development in education as well as employment sector. The career as a Durg Inspector is considered as the most sorted profession in the field of Pharmacy. To become a drug inspector, candidates are required to go through a selection process conducted by the UPSC and/ or SPSCs. Those who make it to the selection process can live a great professional life with a high-paying job. 

Responsibilities of a Drug Inspector

A drug inspector is a regulatory official who is responsible for ensuring that drugs and medical devices are safe, effective, and of high quality. Some of the key responsibilities of a drug inspector include:

1. Inspecting manufacturing facilities: Drug inspectors are responsible for inspecting manufacturing facilities to ensure that they meet regulatory standards for safety, quality, and effectiveness. This includes evaluating the quality control processes, inspecting production lines, and reviewing documentation related to manufacturing processes.
2. Reviewing drug applications: Drug inspectors are responsible for reviewing drug applications to ensure that they meet regulatory requirements for safety and effectiveness. This includes evaluating clinical trial data, reviewing labeling and packaging information, and assessing manufacturing processes.
3. Conducting investigations: Drug inspectors may be called upon to investigate incidents of drug contamination, adverse reactions, or other safety concerns. This involves gathering information from multiple sources, conducting interviews, and analyzing data to identify the cause of the problem.
4. Enforcing regulations: Drug inspectors are responsible for enforcing regulations related to the manufacture, distribution, and sale of drugs and medical devices. This may involve issuing warning letters, fines, or other penalties to companies that are not in compliance with regulations.
5. Providing guidance: Drug inspectors may provide guidance to companies on how to comply with regulatory requirements. This may include providing advice on quality control processes, labeling requirements, and other aspects of drug manufacturing and distribution.
6. Collaborating with other agencies: Drug inspectors may collaborate with other regulatory agencies, such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States or the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in Europe, to ensure that drugs and medical devices are safe and effective.
7. Keeping up-to-date with regulatory changes: Drug inspectors must stay up-to-date with changes in regulatory requirements and industry best practices. This may involve attending training sessions, conferences, or other professional development opportunities.

Eligibility to become Drug Inspector

Aspirants who are wondering ‘How to Become a Drug Inspector?’ much check out the eligibility criteria below.

Subject Combination: Physics, Chemistry/ Biotechnology, Biology/ Microbiology

Entrance Exams: 

• The recruitment of Drug Inspectors is conducted by the UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) and different SPSCs (State Public Service Commission). 

• These authorities conduct entrance exams for the position of Drug inspector when there are vacancies. 

Minimum Age Required: 21 years

Maximum Age Required: 30 years and a relaxation of 5 years for reserved category candidates at some organisations.

Educational Qualification: 

• Candidates are usually required to hold a degree in Pharmacy or Medicine or Pharmaceutical Sciences.

• Degrees with specialisation in Microbiology or Clinical Pharmacology are usually preferred. 

Key Skills:

• Discipline

• Patience

• Self-confidence

• Commitment to excel in the field

• The capacity of performing tests

• Flair in dealing with different combinations of salts

• Updated with the occurring the Pharmaceutical field. 

Selection Process to Become a Drug Inspector

In order to become a Drug Inspector, the following steps need to be taken by a candidate. 

Step 1

The first step in becoming a drug inspector is to get a bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy. Many institutes conduct entrance exams for admissions. 

Step 2

The second step would be getting a master’s degree in Pharmacy. Although the position of Drug Inspector does not necessarily require a postgraduate degree, it is always great to have a better knowledge of the field to excel in it. 

Step 3

The next step would be appearing in the entrance exams conducted by the UPSC and various SPSCs when there are vacancies. 

Certifications and Internships that are helpful in Pursuing a Career as a Drug Inspector?

Here are the popular certifications in the Drug Inspector field mentioned in the table below.

Types of Job Roles Drug Inspector

There are different types of roles that a Drug inspector has to play in her/ his career. The roles are mentioned below

Pharmacovigilance: A professional in this field collects, monitors, researches, assesses and evaluates information from patients or health care providers about different medications, blood products, biological products, vaccines, herbals, complementary medicines, etc. 

Drug Safety Officer: Drug Safety Officers are specialised in monitoring adverse effects of medicine or drugs on patients. The officers then report the effects to review and modification of drugs.

Medical Reviewer: A Medical Reviewer performs audits on medical records that contain health care facilities. Medical reviewers are also called medical auditors as they review data to make sure that the drug quality assessment records are accurate.

Drug Safety Physician: A drug safety physician works with the drug safety team to evaluate the performance of a drug and then makes future recommendations about it. It is important for a drug safety physician to understand how drugs affect the human body and different diseases.

Drug Safety Associate: The work of a Drug Safety Associate is same as Drug safety Officer.

Employment Sector/Industry for Drug Inspector

Drug inspectors are appointed by the government for the assurance of drug quality. They get to work with major Pharmaceutical companies. A drug inspector has a number of responsibilities.

• As per the requirement of Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, assisting the efficacy, quality and safety of drugs. 

• Assisting CDSCO officers by monitoring documentation.

• Carrying out field duties by assisting superiors in enforcing activities like inspections, raids.

• Taking out samples

• Launching prosecution

Pay Scale/Salary of Drug Inspector

• The salary structure of a drug inspector appointed by the central government could be different from the ones appointed by state governments. 

• As per the Pay Matrix Level - 7, a drug inspector earns anywhere from INR 44,900 per months to INR 1,42,400 per month.

• The initial salary usually starts with INR 40,000 or above.

Books & Study Material to Become Drug Inspector

Here is a list of books for the preparation of drug inspector. 

• Forensic Pharmacy by C. Kokate

• Pharmaceutics-I: General and Dispensing Pharmacy by Gupta

• Dispensing Pharmacy by Cooper and Gunn

• Tutorial Pharmacy by Cooper and Gunn

• Textbook of Forensic Pharmacy by GP Mohanty

• Lucent’s General Knowledge by Lucent's

Pros of becoming a Drug Inspector

• High salary

• Perks of government jobs

• High power

• Respect in the pharmaceutical industry

Cons of becoming a Drug Inspector

• A lot of responsibilities

• Hectic job