Updated November 10, 2022
Basically, a Drug Inspector is a govt. appointed quality control inspector, who keeps tab on quality and safety of the medicines/ food items/ cosmetics. Ensuring efficiency, usefulness, authenticity, standard, and effectiveness of consumables from manufacturing to the sale stage comes under authority of a drug Inspector. To execute his powers a drug Inspector is trained for intelligence, raids, examinations and lab testing.
Of late, India’s pharmaceutical industry has seen remarkable growth and it has become third largest exporter of medicines. Naturally, the govt. and industry needs more of drug inspectors to ensure that the manufacturing quality of drugs are up to the mark and fully safe for human consumptions.
Eligibility Criteria to Become A Drug Inspector
Minimum eligibility criteria for becoming a drugs inspector is, the aspiring candidates must have obtained a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy or medicine or pharmaceutical science or any other equivalent degree with a subject combination of Physics, Biology/Microbiology, Chemistry/Biotechnology from any recognized educational institute. However, a bachelor’s degree with a specialization in Microbiology and Clinical Pharmacology is given first preference.
Apart from this, the age of the aspiring candidates must be between 21 to 30 years. However, the reserved category candidates may get relaxation in the upper age limit as per the government’s rules and regulations. And, the most important thing one should keep in mind is that the eligibility criteria, both educational qualification and age limit, may vary from state to state and authority to authority that conducts the recruitment.
Key Skills A Drug Inspector Should Possess?
One aspiring to a career as a drug inspector must have a thorough understanding of various safety standards, rules, and regulations associated with consumable items, particularly drugs and medicine.
Also, one must have the capability to conduct tests to determine the compatibility of different salts and be updated on developments in pharmaceuticals and related technologies.
Additionally, it will help if one is disciplined, possess the quality to work as part of a group, desire to succeed in particular fields, and have the confidence to work under the most challenging conditions.
How to Become A Drug Inspector in India
The recruitment of a drug inspector is based on performances in academics, written exam and interview taken by recruitment conducting bodies. Various departments of state and union government like UPSC (Union Public service Commission) and Different State PCs (State Public Service Commission) conduct the recruitment of a drug inspector. The examination of drugs inspector basically consists of GK and pharmacy related questions.
The one who aspires to a career as drugs inspector have to follow the following steps given below.
- Passing out 12th in science stream with Physics, Chemistry, and Biology as the main subjects.
- After passing out 12th, one needs to get enrolled in bachelor of pharmacy program by clearing entrance exam conducted by various state governments and pharmacy institutes.
- Post bachelor’s in pharmacy, one can appear in the exam conducted by different SPCs (state Public Service Commission) and UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) for recruiting drug inspector in various departments.
Drugs Inspector’s Syllabus and Pattern of the Exam
Questions generally asked in the drug inspector exam are related to Forensic Pharmacy, Pharmacology, Manufacturing Pharmacy, Medicinal Chemistry, Hospital and Clinical Pharmacy, Anatomy, Physiology, Health Education and General Knowledge.
Usually, the examination consists of two papers with an aggregate of 250 marks. But, with varying in state and department, the syllabus and pattern may vary. The first paper contains hundred MCQs of 200 marks related to the pharmacy with maximum time of 2 hour and the second paper contains 50 MCQs of 50 marks from GK with maximum time of 1 hour. The medium of the question papers is usually English and should be answered in English only.
Top college in India for Drug Inspector
Some of the top colleges in India famous for offering renowned courses of Medical Sciences in different streams like paramedical, pharmacy, dental, etc. are listed below
- CDRI (central Drug Research Institute)
- CMC (Christian Medical College), Vellore
- BJMC (B. J. Medical College), Ahmedabad
- AFMC (Armed Forces Medical College), Pune
- AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical science), Delhi
Different Job Roles and Salary of A Drugs Inspector
Different Job roles are played by a Drug inspector and some of them are listed below.
- Medical Reviewer:- A Medical Data Reviewer improves research on a basic level. They are the persons who are responsible for designing CRFs, SAE Reconciliation, Patient Profile creation, Medical Coding UAT, and Coding Consistency Review starting from scratch.
- Pharmacovigilance:- Pharmacovigilance refers to the science and activities related to detecting, evaluating, and understanding adverse reactions or any other related issue. All vaccines and medicines undergo rigorous tests for effectiveness and safety in clinical trials before being approved for use.
- Drug Safety Officer:- They typically work in the department of Pharma-co-vigilance and have the Job profile of Drug Safety Associate. A specialist in drug safety is responsible for drug safety management, such as conducting clinical studies and medical supervision and assuring adherence to all relevant rules and regulations and SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures).
- Drug Safety Physician:- It is a well-paid career opportunity within Pharmacovigilance organizations. The drug safety physician is the person accountable for managing the benefit-risk profile, which includes reviewing and analysing information on safety from sources post-marketing and clinical trials as well as the identification and analysis of safety signals, etc.
The salary structure of a Drug inspector depends on the different job roles they play and the recruiting bodies (UPSC or SPSCs). A drug Inspector at the beginning of his career could earn between Rs.35,000 to Rs.45,000 per month. However, as per the 7th pay matrix level, an average salary of drug inspector after some experience may range from 50 to 150 thousand per month.
Questions Mostly asked Related to Drugs Inspector
Ans- Drug Inspector is a govt. authority responsible for monitoring quality, authenticity, consumption-safety and efficiency of medicines, food items and cosmetics from manufacturing to the selling stage. They also monitor and inspect the hygienic condition at the premises of all such manufactures.
Ans- Dr. VG Somani on 14 August 2019 has been appointed as Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) by the Indian government.
Ans- It depends on the different job roles they play and the recruiting bodies (UPSC or SPSCs). A drug Inspector at the beginning of his career could earn between Rs.35K to Rs.45K per month. However, as per the 7th pay matrix level average salary of a drug inspector after some experience may range from 50k to 150k per month.