Drug Inspector: Eligibility, Exam, Syllabus, Role, Salary & Career Discussed

Drug Inspector Career and Eligibility

The exponential growth of the Indian pharmaceutical industry in the last few years has made it the third-largest exporter of medicines in the world. This rapid growth of the pharmaceutical industry in India has increased the need for a large number of drug inspectors to monitor the quality of medicine produced. Here we are discussing the various aspects, eligibility, skills, responsibilities, career prospects, and salary of this profession.

A drug inspector is a professional who is an expert to monitor the safety, utility efficiency, and quality of a drug from its manufacturing until its sale at the retail shop. All we can say is a drug inspector or quality control inspector is the one who works to ensure that the drugs are safe for human consumption. Their primary responsibility is to examine pharmaceuticals at varying stages of the manufacturing, distribution, and selling process to ensure that the prescribed standards are being met.

What are the Eligibility Conditions to Become a Drug Inspector?

To be eligible to become a drug inspector, a candidate must have completed his graduation in pharmacy or pharmaceutical science or clinical pharmacology or microbiology or medicine or any other equivalent qualification from a recognized institution.

Besides this, an aspiring drug inspector must be in between 21 years and 30 years of age. The candidates of the reserved category get relaxation in the upper age limit according to the government’s rules and regulations. But it should be kept in mind that the eligibility conditions, both the educational qualification, as well as the age limits, may vary to some extent from state to state and to various Departments of Union Government.

Skills Required to Become a Drug Inspector?

• To become a drug inspector, you must have a thorough understanding of various safety standards, rules, and regulations related to consumable items, especially drugs and medicine.
• You should also possess the capacity of performing tests to evaluate the potential compatibility of various salts and must be up to date with what is happening in the field of pharmaceuticals and other related technologies.
• Besides this, you should be disciplined, have the ability to work in the team, have the commitment to excel in respective fields, and possess the self-confidence to work effectively in testing conditions.

How to Become a Drug Inspector?

A drug inspector is selected on the basis of performance in the academics, written exam, and personal interview taken by various departments of state and Union Government. A written exam is a doorway to a career as drug inspector for those possessing the required eligibility. The exam basically consists of general knowledge questions and the questions related to pharmacy. You can follow some steps to reach your goal of becoming a drug inspector, and they are as follows.

1. Complete your 12th class with Physics, Chemistry, and Biology as the main subjects.
2. Post 12th class, you need to take some kind of entrance exams by various state governments and pharmacy institutes for admission to Bachelor of pharmacy course or Diploma in pharmacy course. The examination consists of objective multiple choice type of questions from the relevant subjects and is usually held in the month of May to June. The result of these examinations is generally out by June or July.
3. After completing the four-year Bachelor’s course, you become eligible to appear in the entrance exams taken by various state Public Service Commission and Union Public Service Commission for the recruitment to the post of drug inspector in various departments. You may also go for a master’s in pharmacy course after qualifying in exams like GPAT as some central government departments may ask for a master’s degree in the relevant field to be eligible for becoming a drug inspector.

The pattern of Drug Inspector Exam

The syllabus and the pattern of written examination for drug inspector posts may vary from state to state and department to department. However, the paper usually consists of two papers with a total of 250 marks. The first paper consists of hundred multiple-choice questions of 200 marks related to the pharmacy, which has to be completed in 2 hours, while the second part has 50 multiple choice questions of 50 marks from general knowledge, which has to be completed in one hour. The question papers are usually set in English and should be answered only in English.

Syllabus of Drug Inspector Exam

The drug inspector exam usually consists of questions from forensic pharmacy, manufacturing pharmacy, pharmacology, medicinal chemistry, hospital and clinical pharmacy, anatomy, physiology, and health education. Questions from current events, matters of everyday observation, and experience in the scientific aspects of life can also be expected in the general paper.

Duties and Responsibilities of a Drug Inspector

• The primary duties of a drug inspector include inspection of all business establishments that are engaged in the production, storage, and sale of food items, medicines, and cosmetics.
• Drug inspectors are also involved in monitoring and inspection of hygienic conditions at the premises of all such units. If they find any irregularities in the operation of these units, they can exercise their authority to cancel the license to ensure safety, quality, and hygiene.
• Besides this, the drug inspector also collects samples for bacterial and other chemical tests, seizes the fake products, and destroy them.
• A drug inspector has to prepare reports on samples and actions taken and report them to senior officials.
• He/she is entitled for the implementation of related laws and standards within its area of working with the help of local administration.

Career Prospects of a Drug Inspector

The pharmaceutical sector in India has grown at a fast speed in recent years. It is the country’s most developed business and one of the largest in the world. Today, India is capable of making almost all kinds of pharmaceutical formulations and medicines indigenously. To control and maintain such a gigantic and ever-growing pharmaceutical industry, there is a forever need for drug inspectors.

Drug Inspectors are appointed by various central and state government departments like Health and Family Welfare. A career as a drug inspector is indeed one of the most promising and well-rewarded careers for those fulfilling the eligibility.

Salary of a Drug Inspector

The draw salary of a drug inspector in the Health and Family Welfare departments of various state governments ranges between Rs 50000 to Rs 60000. It may vary depending upon the state you are working for, and there will be annual increments to the salary. As far as the salary of drug inspectors working in private pharmaceutical companies is concerned, it largely depends on the company one is working in and his/her caliber and expertise. However, one could earn between Rs.30,000 to Rs.40,000 at the beginning of the career.

Keywords: Drug inspector Career, Drug Inspector Exam, Drug inspector Exam syllabus, Drug Inspector Salary, Drug Inspector Roles & Responsibilities, Drug Inspector Eligibility, Drug Inspector in India.