One of the many reasons so many people choose to pursue a pharmacy technician degree is because it gives them a chance to make a positive contribution to society. While pharmaceutical companies often get a bad rap, certified pharmacy technicians are there to offer people who are suffering through pain, illness and disease a welcome and necessary respite. Getting involved in the pharmaceutical industry gives people a chance to be a part of something bigger than themselves. Sometimes, it can even mean getting involved in helping to solve major problems facing the world.
Seattle nonprofit works to fight forgotten diseases
With so many diseases and illnesses out there, many of them end up slipping through the cracks of medical and pharmaceutical research. But according to Seattle ABC affiliate KOMO, one Seattle nonprofit is working to change that by bringing researchers and pharmaceutical companies together to treat some of the world’s most neglected diseases.1 BIO Ventures for Global Health is trying to build partnerships between research institutions like Washington University, Seattle Biomedical Research Institute and the Infectious Disease Research Institute, and big pharmaceutical companies so they can provide each other with the tools and resources needed to treat or cure some of the world’s most vexing, and often ignored, diseases. Noting how malaria, dengue fever and other maladies prevalent in developing countries often get overlooked by pharmaceutical companies due to their lack of ultimate profitability, Jennifer Dent, president of BVGH told the source, “While advances in science, medicine and technology have enabled high-income countries to dramatically reduce the burden of infectious diseases, developing countries still struggle with high rates of preventable deaths. We are leveraging assets that pharmaceutical companies have in the pipeline that they have not brought forward. We can access their compound libraries so researchers can explore their potential use in neglected diseases.”
Working toward United Nations standard
The Millenium Development Goals, written up at the UN in 2000 and agreed upon by most of the member countries, are yet another example of how pharmaceuticals can help solve world problems.2 In order to achieve those goals quicker and more effectively, Eduardo Pisani, director general of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations, pointed out in a statement that public-private partnerships are crucial, saying, “…we know that there is no sector – not government, not civil society, not industry – that can alone drive the system-wide change that is required to address the most intractable health challenges.”3 1 Egge, Rose, “Nonprofit Brings Researchers, Pharma Together to Treat Neglected Diseases,” KOMO News, Sept. 24, 2013. http://www.komonews.com/news/health/Nonprofit-brings-researchers-pharma-together-to-treat-neglected-diseases-225063492.html 2 United Nations Millenium Development Goals website. http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/ 3 International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations Press Release, “Research-based Pharmaceutical Industry Calls for Public-Private Sector Engagement to Accelerate Progress Towards the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) and in Planning New Development Agenda,” PR Newswire, Sept. 23, 2013. http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/research-based-pharmaceutical-industry-calls-for-public-private-sector-engagement-to-accelerate-progress-towards-the-millennium-development-goals-mdgs-and-in-planning-new-development-agenda-224932322.html
