Pharmaceutical Industry .

The Reason Behind It All . . .


The pharmaceutical industry is a very commercial business with many companies within (over 200 major ones). For example, Johnson and Johnson and Pfizer are ranking in the top 2 in sales. The industry is used for “research and development, to market and/or distribute the products to the pharmacies in the form of healthcare”. (web1) There are two different kinds of medication, the name brand, or the generic brand. With the generic being less expensive, it is also an exact copy of the brand name, just of cheaper value. The generic type has the exact same chemical ingredient as the brand name, with the only difference being the fillers used are slightly different. (Wiseman, 2007) However, the generic brand can only be released after the brand name products contract has expired, also known as its patent protection. The patent protection depends on the country; therefore each country has a different amount of time the generic can be withheld for. Example, United States may have an earlier release date, in comparison to Canada.

Where It All Began . . .


The industry first began in the 1920’s and 1930’s with the invention of penicillin and insulin. Later came the creation of legislation (proposing of a law), to help with the labeling of the medicine products. When the 1950’s came around, the pharmaceutical industry was becoming more known internationally. At the time, the company Pfizer was being established in the Eastern countries, Europe, and South America. There was a mass production of “‘the pill’, blood pressure pills, and other heart medications”. (web2) The selling of these products began in the 1960’s. Come the 1970’s, the industry was still considered to be relatively small, but there was still more room for expansion. Because of the use of the Internet, consumers were able to directly purchase their products needed right off of the company’s website, and expect delivery right to their door. This was considered a good thing for the company, but poor on the sales for those pharmacies and other stores who were dependent on their customer’s profit. This option was later stopped, as people were receiving their wrong prescriptions, and/or other problems had occurred. It was best for the customer’s to get their medication through a prescription prescribed by a doctor, rather than by him or herself.

The Pfizer Company

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atorvastatin
Within the pharmaceutical industry there is said to be over 200 major industries (as stated above), including countries all over the world. The top 5 include:
1. Johnson and Johnson (United States of America)
2. Pfizer (United States of America)
3. GlaxoSmithKline (United Kingdom)
4. Novartis (Switzerland)
5. Sanofi-Aventis (France)
The Pfizer industry is an American based industry ranking number second in sales worldwide (2007). The headquarters is located in New London, CT, but has Research and Development labs all over the world, including United States of America, United Kingdom, Japan and France. In United States, the industries for Pfizer are located in California, Michigan and Connecticut, located along the waterways allowing for easy access to other countries, by boat. Because the industry labs are located in large cities and near waterways, one would assume that the production of these products has no effect on the environment and social levels of a city. Most of Pfizer’s medications are prescription medications only being sold in the pharmacies (not on the Internet). For example, the drug Atorvastatin, with the common name of Lipitor, is used for lowering cholesterol. The chemical formula is C33H35FN2O5, with its systematic being [R-(R*,R*)]-2-(4-fluorophenyl)-beta,delta-dihydroxy-5-(1-methylrthyl)-3-phenyl-4-[(phenylamino)carbonyl]-1H-pyrrole-heptanoic acid.(web3) The patent protection plan will end (or should have) sometime this year (2007). At that time the generic brand will be able to be released for sale.

How It Is All Done . . .


Upon the process of manufacturing those medications, very important technology will need to be used. This is the GMP Spray Drying technique. This technique is used when the product needs to be exact. The Spray Dryer is very versatile, and can be used in the manufacturing process with a range of different particles and medicines. Industries enjoy this process as it has a positive effect on the outcome of that being produced. After the Spray Dryer, there is the packaging process, to aid with this step. This is the FlexLink Conveyor. This allows for easy packaging with products carrying from 1g to 20kg, in different shapes and sizes. This system can also be rebuilt to fit any way of manufacturing and the products that may be on it.