Writing in Big Pharma - what would you like to know?

[Jane Stephenson]

I'll be a speaker at the annual AMWA meeting on the Scope of Medical Communications, representing Big Pharma. This session is targeted for beginning medical writers or those exploring areas outside their frame of expertise. What would you like to know if attending?

[G. P. Cuppan]

Hi Jane!! I think it is a great idea that you pose such a question to this group. I will be an interested observer in the discussion you launch here.

[G. P. Cuppan]

Annie you have posed a great question. The broad response is........."it depends." For early-career writers the pathways will vary depending on educational background and credentials, industry experience, and writing experience.

Background in the life sciences, like nursing, pharmacology or public health is helpful. Having a PhD in some discipline of the the life sciences will help get you noticed. Work in the pharma industry either at the bench doing basic science or management, like a clinical research associate will also help get you noticed. Short of having one or all of this attributes, then it can me much more challenging to find a way into medical writing/regulatory writing.

Pharmaceutical companies do not want to hire unknowns. They will instead find contractors and leave positions vacant until the right individuals appear on the radar screen. Large contract research organizations doing clinical studies will also look for writers with considerable experience. The small research houses may have to take risks and hire writers with unknown performance. To bias for success they will look for people with the attributes I mentioned in the above paragraph.

One of the ways for you to expand your network and gain experience is to try and make connections with medical researchers at major universities or research institutions. Get yourself up to speed on proposal writing (these researchers always are looking for grant money and many do not have the time nor inclination to write high quality grant proposals.) Also develop some advanced insight into writing clinical research protocols. There are literally thousands of protocols written each year and someone has to write each and everyone of these documents.