B.Pharm – Bachelor of Pharmacy

The term pharmacy originated from the word pharma, which was believed to be first coined between fifteen to the seventeenth century. Pharmacy is a discipline that falls under health sciences and governs the preparation methods and dispensing procedures of medicinal drugs. The primary objective of this branch of health science is to ensure the effectiveness and safety of the pharmaceutical drugs. The World Health Organization states that there are more than two and a half million pharmacists worldwide.

Bachelor of Pharmacy is an undergraduate degree program in pharmacy which can be pursued after finishing high school (10+2) or after obtaining a (DPharm) diploma in pharmacy (lateral entry). It is important to keep in mind that DPharm and PharmD are not same, as the latter refers to a doctorate program in the field of pharmacy. If anyone wants to specialize in Ayurvedic pharmacy, then that person should look for B.Pharm (Ayurveda) courses. This article; however, will limit the discussion to regular B.Pharma courses only, which are modeled upon allopathic medicine.

Best B. Pharmacy Colleges in India

• (NIPER) National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Mohali
• NIPER, Hyderabad
• Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai
• Pune College of Pharmacy, Pune
• JSS College of Pharmacy, Mysore
• Delhi Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, New Delhi
• Bombay College of Pharmacy, Mumbai
• ISF College of Pharmacy, Moga
• LM College of Pharmacy, Ahmedabad
• YB Chavan  College of Pharmacy, Aurangabad
• NGSM Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Mangalore
• Goa College of Pharmacy
• Principal KM Kundnani College of Pharmacy, Mumbai
• Sanjivani College of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Kopargaon
• Madras Medical College, Chennai
• Srimati Kishoritai Bhoyar College of Pharmacy, Kamptee
• Bharti Vidyapeeth College of Pharmacy, Kolhapur
• KLE Academy of Higher Education and Research, Belagavi
• RC Patel Institute of Pharmaceutical Education of Research, Shirpur
• Padmashree Dr. DY Patil Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research
• PE Society’s Modern College of Pharmacy, Pune
• SVKM’s Dr. Bhanuben Nanavati College of Pharmacy, Mumbai
• Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Wardha
• PSG College of Pharmacy, Coimbatore
• MVP Samaj’s College of Pharmacy, Nashik
• Chalapathi Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guntur
• Guru Nanak College of Pharmacy, Nagpur
• AISSMS College of Pharmacy, Pune

B Pharmacy Colleges in Bangalore

• Al Ameen College of Pharmacy
• East West College of Pharmacy
• Krupanidhi College of Pharmacy
• Mallige College of Pharmacy
• M.S. Ramaiah College of Pharmacy
• PES College of Pharmacy
• Vivekananda College of Pharmacy

Qualifications

Successful completion of high school leaving examination (10+2) from any Indian state or central board of education or any other equivalent qualification including (General Certificate of Education, UK) GCE ‘O’ Level.

Our Advice

One can go for any of the following career upgrade pathways after graduation.

• Master of Pharmacy or MPharm
• Going abroad for masters

(For those who want to remain in Asia can take a peek at the Singapore International Graduate award or SINGA for a fully-funded Ph.D. after finishing their B.Pharm)

• Integrated doctorate program in Pharmacy from highly reputed institutes like Indian Institute of Science; National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health; Tata Institute of Social Sciences; Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research, and Education in Cancer; etc.

B Pharma Scope

This business sector provides ample room for growth. Big domestic and international players in this field routinely recruit thousands of eligible graduates from various pharmacy colleges in India. Apart from these corporate; one can get employed in state and central hospitals, universities, and colleges, municipal departments, research institutes, etc.

Pharmacists can be assigned various work profiles in hospitals, community drug stores, extended healthcare facilities, clinics, psychiatric hospitals and also in regulatory bodies (pharmacovigilance). The sales and marketing sector also recruits a large pool of B.Pharma graduates for a wide array of job roles like medical representative and institutional sales. One can work in medicine shops as well. Once the trade registration and licensing with the state Pharmacy Council is done, a person can open a chemist shop and sell prescribed medication.

The annual CTC of a candidate is determined by number of years of domain related experience, location, and academic qualification that person holds. The starting salary of a fresh graduate in the pharmaceutical industry ranges from fifteen to twenty thousand rupees per month. The mean salary of a newly passed out pharmacy graduate is around two LPA (2,01,945 rupees). Those who own medicine shops earn even more.

B Pharma Course

B Pharma Course is designed to impart exhaustive pharmaceutical knowledge along with professional skills with research competencies. The program inspires the learners to inculcate entrepreneurial abilities and analytical instincts. The course also sensitizes and empowers the budding pharmacists to cater the requirements of the social health care system. Additionally, B.Pharm students are adequately exposed to industrial training so that they can successfully put the learned theories in practice.

B Pharmacy Subjects

The three core disciplinary areas of study in this course are as follows.

• Pharmaceutics
• Pharmacy practice
• Pharmacognosy and medical chemistry

Choosing an Institute

• The B.Pharm course must be accredited by either the AICTE or the PCI (Pharmacy council of India)
• Additionally, the degree granting university and its constituent college or affiliated institute should be duly recognized by the UGC
• The course curriculum should be accredited by the NBA

(Note: NAAC ratings are meant for traditional arts, commerce, and science colleges; and NBA accreditations are meant for professional institution in the field of engineering & technology, management, pharmacy, etc.)

B Pharmacy Eligibility

• A student should have cleared the high school leaving examination (10+2) with PCM/B (Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics/Biology) as compulsory subjects and maintain at least 50% in aggregate marks

(Biology: A paper in Zoology or Botany)

• Diploma holders in Pharmacy are also eligible and they can opt for a lateral entry to second year of any B.Pharm course provided the student has 50% in first and second of their two-year long DPharm program.

Universities for B.Pharm

• Chandigarh University, Chandigarh
• Nirma University, Ahmedabad
• Birla Institute of Technology (deemed university), Mesra
• Birla Institute of Technology and Science (deemed university), Pilani
• Birla Institute of Technology (deemed university), Ranchi
• Amrita University, Kochi
• SRM University, Chennai
• Annamalai University, Annamalainagar
• Andhra University, Vizag
• Shri Ramachandra University, Chennai
• Dibrugarh University, Dibrugarh
• Integral University, Lucknow
• Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak
• Devi Ahalya Vishwavidyalaya, Indore
• Guru Ghasidas Vishwavidyalaya, Bilaspur
• Shoolini University of Biotechnology and Management Sciences, Solan
• Dr. Hari Singh Gour Vishwavidyalaya, Sagar
• Vanasthali Vidyapith, vanasthali
• Nagarjuna University, Guntur
• Guru Jambeshwar University of Science and Technology, Hissar
• Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (deemed university), Mumbai

B.Pharm Entrance Examinations

• Graduate Pharmacy Aptitude Test or GPAT
• Banaras Hindu University B.Pharm Entrance Examination or BHU-B.Pharm-EE
• Maharashtra Health and Technical Common Entrance Test or MHT-CET
• Goa Common Entrance Test or GCET
• Telangana State Engineering, Agriculture & Medical Entrance Test or TS-EAMCET
• Karnataka Common Entrance Test or KCET
• Uttarakhand State Entrance Examination or UKSEE
• Andhra Pradesh Engineering, Agriculture & Medical Entrance Test or AP EAMCET
• Birla Institute of Technology & Science Admission Test or BITSAT
• Delhi Common Entrance Test or Delhi-CET

B Pharmacy Syllabus in Details

Year 1
Semester 1	Semester 2
Pharmaceutical Analysis I	Physical Pharmacy/Pharmaceutics I
Pharmacognosy I	Anatomy, Physiology, and Health Education (APHE) I
Remedial Mathematical Biology	Advanced Mathematics
Basic Electronics and Computer Applications	Physical Chemistry/Pharmaceutical Chemistry II
Inorganic Pharmaceutical Chemistry/Pharmaceutical Chemistry I	Organic Chemistry I/Pharmaceutical Chemistry III
Year 2
Semester 3	Semester 4
Unit operations I (Engineering Drawing included)/Pharmaceutics II	Unit Operations II/Pharmaceutics III
Organic Chemistry II/Pharmaceutical Chemistry IV	Pharmacognosy III
Pharmaceutical Analysis II	Pharmaceutical Microbiology
Pharmacognosy II	Dispensing and Community Pharmacy/Pharmaceutics IV
APHE II	Pathophysiology of Common Diseases
Year 3
Semester 5	Semester 6
Biochemistry/Pharmaceutical Chemistry V	Medicinal Chemistry I/Pharmaceutical Chemistry
Pharmacology I	Biopharmaceutics and Pharmacokinetics/Pharmaceutics VII
Hospital Pharmacy/Pharmaceutics VI	Pharmaceutical Jurisprudence and Ethics
Pharmacognosy	Chemistry of Natural Products/Pharmacognosy V
Pharmaceutical Technology I/Pharmaceutics V	Pharmacology II
Year 4
Semester 7	Semester 8
Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Industrial Management	Pharmaceutics IX
Medicinal Chemistry II/Pharmaceutical Chemistry VII	Pharmacognosy VI
Pharmacology III	Clinical Pharmacy and Drug Interactions/Pharmacology IV
Pharmaceutical Technology II/Pharmaceutics VIII	Medicinal Chemistry III/Pharmaceutical Chemistry VIII
Theory Elective (Practical/Project will need to be done in eighth semester)	Pharmaceutical Analysis III

B Pharmacy Jobs Opportunity

After graduating from a B.Pharm course, outgoing students can opt for the following work profiles.

• Health Inspector
• Research Officer
• Analytical Chemist
• Drug/Chemical Technician
• Customs Officers
• Drug Therapist
• Drug Inspector
• Data Manager
• Medical Transcriptionist
• Hospital Drug Coordinator
• Lecturer/Teacher
• Regulatory Manager
• Medical coding
• Medical writing

Countries like the US, Canada, Australia and UK employ international pharmacy graduates as licensed or registered community pharmacists. The foreign pharmacy graduates are supposed to take the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination (NAPLEX) before applying for any pharmaceutical job. In the US alone, the number of shortfall for healthcare professional is projected to be two and a half lacs in 2020. Typical salary for pharmacy professional with one year’s experience range between forty to one hundred and twenty thousand dollars in USA.

One can choose to be an entrepreneur also. After known as India’s silicon valley for several years, Bengaluru is on the verge of realign itself as being the hub of successful healthcare startups in the subcontinent. Interested B.Pharm graduates may get in touch with the FOPE (Federation of Pharmacy Entrepreneurs) in New Delhi.

Should I Specialize?

Specializations are not offered at undergraduate level.

Making a Difference

Pharmacology, medicine, and biotechnology are the three fields where new medicines are discovered by a well-structured process called drug discovery. After the human genome sequencing project was completed successfully, it became pretty standard engaging the methods of reverse pharmacology. Present drug discovery formal procedures includes identifying screening hits, chemistry of medicines, and optimizing those hits for increasing selectivity, affinity, metabolic stability, oral bioavailability and potency/efficacy.