E-DRUG: Vacancy - MSF Pharmacist - India
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Job Profile
·Location: this position is an expatriate position based at the
Coordination of the OCB mission in Delhi; visits to manufacturer in India
are foreseen
· Duration: 1 year (extension to evaluate at the end of the mission)
· Supervision: hierarchically and functionally accountable to the
International Pharmacist Coordination(IPC) and the referent Section
Pharmacist
MSF India mission framework
Three sections are currently running medical activities in India: OCA,
OCB, OCBa and in OCP is doing explo mission for a future project.
The current registration status of MSF in India does not allow medical
good imports and the drugs procurement relies on local purchases (via
distributors and, to a minor extent, via some company headquarters) and on
a few ad hoc solutions from procurement centres in Europe.
The specificities of the Indian pharmaceutical market, the limited
knowledge that MSF has on the domestic manufacturing in India as well as
the recent changes of the Indian patent law require an in-depth evaluation
and information update in order to allow the MSF sections to put in place
the best drugs procurement strategy. Moreover, the characteristics of the
Indian pharmaceutical environment impact directly on MSF operations
worldwide: the drugs locally available in the contexts where MSF operates,
whether from multinationals or from generic producers, are mainly produced
in India. Therefore, being MSF one of the major independent medical
humanitarian organisation actively lobbying for drug quality worldwide is
of particular importance for MSF to gain a better knowledge on such
pharmaceutical market.
The evaluation of the initial 6 months position showed a continued need
for support to the Indian missions in regard to optimizing drugs
procurement but also to continue the investigations of the market.
More over, the medical directors have recently (January 2011) confirmed
the need and expectation from this position.
Objective of the post
Under the supervision of the International Pharmacist Coordinator and the
referent Section Pharmacist and in collaboration with the Medical
Coordinators, the intersectional pharmacist in India will:
1.according to the priorities and needs established by the Section
Pharmacists, update the contact with the pharmaceutical companies, collect
information and thus review the procurement table for the Indian missions
2. support the missions in keeping an up to date intersectional Standard
Drug List
3. Maintain and regularly update the local purchase information for the
projects
4. Support the establishment of an intersectional drug pooled procurement
system between the MSF sections if decisions are taken for such an
approach
5. monitoring of the validated supplier for the domestic market
6. Monitor the general pharmaceutical environment
7. under request, support projects in pharmacy management and other
pharmacy related issues
Specific objectives
1. Continue work on manufacturers / manufacturing sites producing for
the Indian internal market and for the less regulated markets including
technical visits where deemed relevant by the International Pharmacist
Coordinator and section pharmacists. The technical visits to be performed
by section pharmacist and if necessary with an external expert.
- For each company, establish a company card, outlining: the connections
between companies/divisions of the same company/ect. (i.e. Ranbaxy,
Ranbaxy Solus, Ranbaxy Croslands, Ranbaxy Rexcel ); domestic/non regulated
production sites; manufacturing licences; outsourcing system
- for each pharmaceutical company, collect the list of products
(description and brand names) manufactured for the domestic market and as
a secondary objective collect the same for the non-regulated countries,
together with the list of countries where such products are registered
- according to the rating system established by the referent Section
Pharmacist under the supervision of the IPC, review the ranking of sources
per product for the India missions (1st-2nd-3rd choice per formulation and
non–recommended)
- identify conditions and possibilities for purchase of drugs manufactured
for export in India for each company
- for some specific products, identify possible sources to evaluate in
order to avoid as much as possible the continued hand-carrying of drugs
2. Standard Drug List,
- support the MedCos and country pharmacists in keeping up to date the
standard drug lists for the projects
3. Local Purchase Information
- Coordinate the maintenance and continuous update of the intersectional
purchase table, taking into account new products needed by the projects
and new sources for existing products.
- Maintain a record of all exceptional validations given by each section.
- Try to harmonise as much as possible between the sections, for example
try to establish a joint emergency kit list.
4. Drug pooled procurement
- Support the implementation of pooled procurement between the sections
(concrete activities see proposal on pooled procurement in annexe
“Intersectional drug pooled procurement system in India – DRAFT”). The
proposal needs to be revised together with the Head of Missions, medical
coordinators, mission pharmacists and supply staff in all sections.
5. Provide support to projects on all aspects of medicines supply and
use
- Ensure adequate quality control practices are implemented at reception
- Coordination and follow up on quality problems and issues with suppliers
- Provide the sections with General information/knowledge about Indian
Pharmaceutical environment. Follow up of Pharma news. Sighting of
webpages/phama publications with relevant information on Pharmacovigilance
and Substandard products lists
- Provide support to mission pharmacists as necessary on technical issues
including pharmacy management
6. Provide support as needed to the Trust office on issues related to
obtaining a drug license and its implementation
7. Active participation in all discussions involving future development
supply mechanism
Communication
- collect information on the changing Indian pharmaceutical environment
both pro-actively and on specific topics if needed under request of the
IPC and Section Pharmacist
- Provide a monthly update to the IPC and the section pharmacists
- pass on all relevant information to Section pharmacists
- relate and coordinate with CAME pharmacists (Access Campaign to
Essential Medicines) for specific issues and under the agreement of the
IPC
- relate with MedCo in regular monthly or bi-monthly meeting
- at the end of the mission, to issue to IPC and missions a report on the
results of the work, findings of the position and main subjects to be
followed
Candidate profile
- Degree in Pharmacy (or equivalent diploma according to the country
of origin of the pharmacist)
- Experience with quality assurance and manufacturing aspects of
pharmaceutical products desirable
- Pharmacist with field experience in developing countries (MSF
experience is an asset)
- Ability to work in a team
- Good organisational skills
- Fluency in English (written and spoken)
- Good communication skills, notably the capacity to negotiate and
gather information
- Ability to represent MSF at external meetings
Particularities
- Expatriate position
- Based in Delhi, travelling within India to suppliers and projects
required
Practicalities
Deadline for Application: 6th April 2011
Interested candidates should send a Letter of Motivation, and Curriculum
Vitae, by e-mail to
mailto:IO-recruitment.gva@msf.org or by mail to I.Saussereau Rue de
Lausanne 78, CP 116, 1211 Geneva 21, Switzerland.
Only short listed candidates will be contacted.
Information on the position can be obtained from the International
Pharmacist Coordinator:
Email: carine.werder@msf.org