inside a pharmaceutical plant…
Thought you may be interested in knowing what goes on behind the scenes in the process of drug making ..
pics removed
Re: Inside a Pharmaceutical Plant
Nice pics...btw is that you in the lab coat?
Re: Inside a Pharmaceutical Plant
wow....this is really informative.
what type of drugs are manufactured here?
what happens to those drums once they are filled?
I’m glad u liked it muzna 
Well once the drums are full, the batch is lined up in another isolated area in the warehouse. (sorry I don’t have any pics of the warehouse..) So these drums are all lined up in that area and they stay there until QA (quality asurance) gives a go ahead for the batch to be released…
Again, alot more occurs before a batch is released, but in relation to your question, a QA specialist goes to the warehouse and inspects each n every drum to check for damage, scratches, .. and to check if the labels are on, if they’re correct, if they’re on the right place, if they are legible etc… this inspection is only a small part of the major investigation that QA is responsible for carrying out before any batch is released.
Anyways, once QA gives a go ahead, prepares all the relevant release documents, gets everything signed off etc, they then inform the warehouse that the batch is ready to be released on the specified shipment date.
On the shipment date, a transport vehicle comes to the warehouse… all the drums are placed in the truck (again, there’s rules concerning how you place them in the vehicle etc.) and the truck transports the drums to the ferry, which transports them to the specified country.
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About ur questions on the products, there’s wayyy too many to be listed here… have a look at them on the following link:
Currently, one of the best-selling products is TAMIFLU (for treating swine flu) which is manufactured by Roche.
Side note: The fact that the site where I worked manufactured API’s (active pharmaceutical ingredients) means that this is not the final product… its just the main ingredient.. the API must then be combined with other ingredients and forumalted into tablets or capsules or whatever.. (this further processing and formulation takes place at other sites of Roche, not where I worked) … a series of inspections start all over again… and only then is the Final Product released to the market for us to buy…
hope that answers ur questions.. cheers!
by the way ..thats how the drugs manufacture back home..
http://www.paklinks.com/gsmedia/files/69726/medicine%20factory.jpg
^ and that's why no pakistani pharmaceutical company is at the international level!
Quality is everything when it comes to products... especially for human use... especially the consumable ones!
And no you can't see my full pic. Full Stop.
PS: That pic u posted looks like the making of "Gur"... I remember seeing something similar when I was a kid.. My nana abu took us on a trip to the "khet" (fields) and we saw the villagers making gur, looked very similar to this...
PPS: Plz dude go back home and get a reality check... this is NOT how legal, marketable drugs are manufactured in Pakistan any more... Our country has come very far Mashallah in terms of science and technology... and irish scientists are nothing compared to pakistani brains Alhumdulillah :)
oh well .. :aliyish:
irish.. ..oh … beautiful irish.. eyes.. 
Re: Inside a Pharmaceutical Plant
I took that GMP training . Damn it was boring . 
Yea even here in America it is one of the most regulated industries .
Re: Inside a Pharmaceutical Plant
Do you work for QA dept. huma?
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^ and that's why no pakistani pharmaceutical company is at the international level!
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I don't agree with this. There are many European companies operating in Pakistan (GSK & Wyeth to name two) and they do follow GMP and IEC standards. Same goes with Pakistani companies operating under licenses. They also follow the same regulations, otherwise they will loose their licenses.
@ Masi Museebtay: My internship revolved around various departments and QA was one dept. that I worked in. I also spent a lot of time on the plant, working with chemical engineers and technical services. And also the QC analytical stuff is all a part of my undergrad.
@ XenoPhanez: If a european pharmaceutical company operates in pakistan, then the credit of the "international quality level" should also go to europe, no? At least I don't know of an all desi, original pakistani pharmaceutical company that has come up the same level... and I am not blaming the lack of quality.. pharmaceuticals require tonnes of money which ofcourse the west has alot of... And ur right, every pharmaceutical business (or even a lab) must comply with the GMP and ISO standards otherwise there liscence will be cancelled.
Re: Inside a Pharmaceutical Plant
Nice :k:
I did some consultancy work for a US pharma company based here in the UK a couple of years back…i got a chance to have a look around their UK manufacturing site…it looks pretty much like what you posted, how weird.
BTW, are you allowed to take pics? We weren’t allowed to do anything of the sort…
Re: Inside a Pharmaceutical Plant
where is this??in pak??which city?
@ maroush: Ahan, nice to know someone else here related to the pharma industry. Yup ur right, u can't take pictures on site. Not even with ur mobile phone. There is a serious risk of causing an explosion. (camera battery or mobile battery may react with the flammable atmosphere)
If for some reason u do need to take a picture of something then u need to get a special permit from the manager and they give you a special security camera. And the team leaders of the manufacturing technicians on the plant are also given special mobile phones in protective casing etc.
I needed to take pictures for my internship report. I had to prepare a report at the end of the internship so I got the special permit from the manager, he gave me the security camera and thats how I took these pictures.
@ Neha55511: This is the Roche site in Ireland.
Re: Inside a Pharmaceutical Plant
Very informative! I like the photographs as well.
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@ XenoPhanez: If a european pharmaceutical company operates in pakistan, then the credit of the "international quality level" should also go to europe, no? At least I don't know of an all desi, original pakistani pharmaceutical company that has come up the same level... and I am not blaming the lack of quality.. pharmaceuticals require tonnes of money which ofcourse the west has alot of... And ur right, every pharmaceutical business (or even a lab) must comply with the GMP and ISO standards otherwise there liscence will be cancelled.
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I think you are grossly underestimating Pakistani pharmaceutical companies. It may come to you as surprise that Pakistan's largest Pharmaceutical company, Feroz sons, is an ALL DESI original Pakistani company. They not only make drugs, but they also process/export ingredients (Like Roche & Uptuit) to other Pharmaceutical companies. I know for a fact that they do follow GMP & GAMP. This is just one example, there many other smaller (relatively) all desi companies who also follow these standards.
Re: Inside a Pharmaceutical Plant
wow...this is really intersting. Thanks for sharing. So you've done pharmaceutical engineering?