Safety in the Pharmaceutical Industry

According to the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America or PhRMA, 3.6 billion prescriptions are written each year in the U.S. There are also over 10,000 medications available through prescription. Despite high-profile drug safety concerns, the majority of medications available are judged safe.

Types

• When discussing pharmaceuticals and safety, there are two basic concerns. One is for the patient who will be taking the medication. However, prior to a medication ever being available for prescription, a drug must go through research and development, and through Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval. The workers who handle the research, development and testing must also be kept safe during these processes.

Function

• To protect consumers, the FDA has a drug review process that monitors clinical trials. Typically the process takes years to complete. For those working in the pharmaceutical industry, there are safety standards in place to protect workers as in any workplace.

Considerations

• For workers at the cutting edge of biotechnology, safety standards are not keeping up with the newer biotech industry. Accidents and fatalities from working with dangerous microbes or compounds have occurred. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration in May 2010 began compiling information on risks from infectious agents, most likely in order to prepare new regulations for the biotech industries, according to the journal "Science."