Introduction to the Pharmaceutical Industry


The pharmaceutical industry is arguably one of the leading sectors in the application of green chemistry to business.  Many companies now have in-house green chemistry teams and initiatives to drive up-take of green chemistry practices within the business.  This module provides an overview of the pharmaceutical industry in terms of the development of a pharmaceutical product, timescales, barriers and restrictions as well as an introduction to key reaction types of interest.  

Learning Objectives

By the end of this module you should:

  • Be aware of the timescales for a pharmaceutical company to bring a new drug to the market;
  • Be able to identify key transformations for the pharmaceutical industry and explain some of the current problems surrounding them.