Industry breakthroughs
Recent biopharma breakthroughs are enhanced by access to
unprecedented data
and technological advances in analysing this data.
Here are some trends emerging in the next year that will affect our
understanding of medicine and healthcare:
Vaccine development
The arrival of COVID-19 has spurred the biopharma community into action and
pressure to develop and mass-produce the vaccination is immense. As nations
went into lockdown, businesses ceased trading, and income was lost.
The urgency for normality to be restored forced governments to recognise
the part they needed to play by partnering with biopharmaceutical companies
to fund research and combine resources.
There is a call for new vaccine technology in light of the current
pandemic. Vaccines using mRNA from the coronavirus have proved effective
and quick to produce to such an extent that discovering innovative vaccine
technology paves the way for future vaccines.
Monoclonal antibodies and biosimilars
Monoclonal antibodies, grown in a laboratory, are designed to replicate,
enhance or restore an immune system. Antibodies are constantly modified.
They are used for ADCs (antibody-drug conjugates) to kill infected or
diseased cells. The focus is specifically on cancer cells.
Biosimilars, one of the bases of biotechnology, are being modified to meet
changing medical needs. These are drugs using different ingredients to
biological drugs but deliver the same effects. The development of
biosimilars makes immunotherapy and targeted drugs more accessible.
Repurposing and approving biosimilar drugs has recently treated acute
respiratory distress, a symptom of COVID-19.
Cell and gene therapies
Cell and gene therapy, which refers to manipulating human cells and genomes
to customise drugs, is a thriving area of biotechnology. In 2017, a drug
called Kymriah became the first
FDA-approved gene therapy, whereas a patient’s white blood cells are used to treat lymphatic
leukaemia.
Cell and gene technology is snowballing as the urgency for cures for cancer
and other rare diseases heightens. Between ten and twenty gene therapies
are being approved annually by the FDA as new biotech projects are
fast-tracked.
These emerging trends are a strong signal that the
biopharma job market is expanding and many
biopharma companies
that were not household names before the pandemic are expanding their
teams.
The biopharma job market
A revolution has taken place in job markets industry-wide following the
COVID-19 pandemic.
Remote work opportunities have increased in the biopharma market as the
industry rapidly expands to keep up with the demands.
Telemedicine has received widespread acceptance for the safety of patients
and healthcare providers. As a result, virtual consultations are now
preferred over in-person meetings.
To accommodate all of these changes, pharmaceutical companies, partnering
with governments, have funding and are expanding their research and
development facilities to fight against the multiplying variants of
COVID-19.
Not only are remote job opportunities increasing, but so too are
remote interviews. These are taking place via online meeting applications such as Zoom,
Teams and Google Meet.
The thinking behind these changes is that even when the pandemic is over,
and restrictions are lifted, the biopharmaceutical job market will adopt
this methodology permanently.
In-demand biopharma skills
Strategic thinking and creative problem solving
The biopharma industry is undergoing a massive transformation, requiring
innovative minds and forward-thinking candidates to work on complex
projects. Identifying, prioritising and solving problems is a crucial skill
required in this industry.
Conflict resolution and teamwork
The ability to work effectively in a team requires good interpersonal
skills. Whenever a group of people is needed to work together there will be
differing opinions, possibly leading to conflict. A valuable recruit will
be able to anticipate or resolve a dispute.
Teams may be large and involve many departments. A skilled candidate will
merge teams,
breaking down departmental silos
and creating a unified team for successful results.
Awareness of industry trends and business skills
This rapidly evolving industry requires quick thinking and innovative
people. They can keep abreast with all changes within the industry:
business, regulatory and financial and understand their influences.
Understanding of regulations and laws of the industry
There is a raft of regulations and laws that dominate all practices related
to biopharma industries. A well-qualified candidate will successfully
navigate a team through these.
Communication and relationship-building skills
Career progress is guaranteed for the candidate whose personality traits
are a good fit and who can work in a team to manage complex projects.
Communication between team members and external parties is required, often
in the form of project management.
Why use QCS Staffing to find your next biopharma position?
Vaccines and other medical innovations are booming. As a result, the
biopharma industry is increasing its recruitment of candidates, especially
those looking to change careers and break into the industry.
At QCS Staffing, we work with biopharma professionals around the world and we are
committed to finding the right fit for candidates. Browse our current
jobs in life sciences and our pharmaceutical vacancies, or register your details
to create job alerts and hear about the latest job opportunities.
