The pharmaceutical industry is a key player in healthcare and drug supply, so one of the key aims of pharmacy education is to equip students with a basic knowledge of the pharmaceutical industry. We aim to provide our students with the knowledge and professional experience in Pécs that will lay the foundation for career opportunities in all areas of pharmacy, including the pharmaceutical industry. To achieve this, it is essential to establish close industrial partnerships that provide opportunities for insights into daily practice, to incorporate real-life professional challenges into training, and to share scientific results and good practices between the labour market and academic stakeholders.
In October 2022, a delegation of our faculty visited the European Quality and Testing Centre and Packaging Plant of Viatris/Mylan Hungary Ltd. Viatris is one of the world's leading global pharmaceutical companies with more than 30,000 marketing authorisations and an annual production capacity of more than 80 billion doses in 50 manufacturing facilities.
In Hungary, Viatris' Komárom site is home to the Regional Quality Assurance Organisation and the European Centre of Excellence. In the packaging plant, which was visited by our faculty staff, more than 140 million finished products are packed on 15 packaging lines and sold by Viatris in all EU countries. In the very impressive analytical laboratory, nearly 100 staff are involved in the physical and chemical analysis and release of solid pharmaceutical forms, all in a continuously upgraded and world-class equipped environment. With a Regional Quality Assurance Organisation and a European Centre of Excellence with more than 200 quality assurance staff, it is also a leading player in the region in this field.
In the framework of a personal visit to strengthen the cooperation in 2021, the parties confirmed their commitment that Viatris staff will continue to participate in professional events for students of the Faculty of Pharmacy (e.g. Professional Day, Where to Next?! conference, Pharmaceutical Sciences Forum) and will provide the opportunity for students from Pécs to personally get to know pharmaceutical, analytical and quality assurance activities in the framework of factory visits. In the future, the Komárom site will support the acquisition of practical experience in industry through internships of agreed duration and programme, the submission of thesis and Undergraduate Research Society proposals and external consultancy.