Definition of Pharmaceutical Medicine

Pharmaceutical Medicine is the medical scientific discipline concerned with the discovery, development, evaluation, registration, monitoring and medical aspects of marketing of medicines for the benefit of patients and the health of the community.

At core of the discipline is the clinical testing of medicines, translation of pharmaceutical drug research into new medicines, safety and well-being of research participants in clinical trials, and understanding the safety profile of medicines and their benefit-risk balance.

In addition to expertise in the science of drug development pharmaceutical physicians need a thorough understanding of pharmacoeconomics, medical aspects of the marketing of medicines, business administration and the social impact of healthcare on patients and public health.

Pharmaceutical physicians work in the pharmaceutical industry, drug regulatory authorities and contract research organisations, but have a close affinity with their medical colleagues in primary and secondary health care and at universities.

Source/reference: Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom (https://www.fpm.org.uk/)