When considering where to go to school for your MBA, the industries located in your school’s region should be a major factor. To help you decide which regions are best for you, we’re beginning an industry series about four of our top metro areas, starting with Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and its concentration to bio-science and pharmaceuticals.
According to Forbes, the largest industry in Philadelphia is bio-science and pharmaceuticals. If you’re looking to enter the pharmaceutical industry after your MBA, then attending the Fox School of Business at Temple University or the Smeal College of Business at Penn State or even the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania is a smart idea.
It’s an especially good idea to attend the Haub School of Business at Saint Joseph’s University. Their Executive Pharmaceutical & Healthcare Marketing MBA is the perfect program for MBA students looking to enter the pharma industry. It takes as few as 12 months or as long as six years to complete the degree made up of 24 courses. The average MBA student has 14 years of work experience in a middle- to senior-level management position in pharma or healthcare.
Another appropriate MBA program in Philadelphia is the MBA in Pharmaceutical Management at the Rutgers School of Business in Camden. Their MBA program is one of the top five destinations to pursue an MBA in healthcare/pharma. Academic experts, as well as former senior industry executives from companies such as Johnson & Johnson, Bayer, and Bristol-Myers Squibb, teach the classes.
After earning your MBA at the Haub School or Rutgers School, there are four major-player pharma companies to consider. Each of these companies has a significant presence in Philadelphia and are considered leaders in their industry.
Teva Pharmaceuticals
The US headquarters of Teva Pharmaceuticals is located in North Wales, Pennsylvania, not far outside of Philadelphia. According to the Teva website, one in every eight prescriptions dispensed in the US is a Teva product and approximately 17 prescriptions are filled by Teva products every second. Teva is the world’s largest maker of generic pharmaceutical products.
GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. They have two large corporate headquarters in the US, one of them located in the Philadelphia Navy Yard. They are a science-led global healthcare company that researches and develops a broad range of innovative products in pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and consumer healthcare. According to their website, they have a presence in more than 150 countries.
AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca is the world’s fifth-largest pharma company, formed in 1999 through the merger of Astra AB of Sweden and Zeneca Group PLC of the UK. In 2013, their worldwide sales totaled $25.7 billion with a global workforce of 50,000 individuals. Its US headquarters is in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania. According to their website, their focus is on six key therapeutic area including cancer, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, infection, neuroscience, and respiratory and inflammation.
Endo Pharmaceuticals
The US headquarters for Endo Pharmaceuticals is located in Malvern, Pennsylvania. It’s a global specialty pharmaceutical company focused on improving patient’s lives. They employ approximately 6,000 people worldwide, according to their website. Endo develops, manufactures, markets, and distributes branded and generic pharmaceutical products and over-the-counter medications through it’s multiple operating companies which include: Endo Pharmaceuticals, Par Pharmaceutical, ASTORA Women’s Health, Paladin Labs, and SOMAR.
Other Philadelphia biotech and pharmaceutical companies include:
- AVAX Technologies: Best known for the development and commercialization of its AC Vaccine technology for the treatment of cancer.
- Avid Pharmaceuticals: Focused on the research and development of molecular imaging agents.
- Bio-Rad: Develops, manufactures, distributes, and services over 5,000 different products. The Bio-Rad Informatics division is based in Philadelphia.
- Catalent Pharma Solutions: Focused on providing contract development and manufacturing services to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.
- Echo Therapeutics: Focused on the development and commercialization of a non-invasive and wireless, transdermal glucose monitoring system for diabetic patients.
- Genzyme: A highly diversified family of companies committed to redefining patient care worldwide through the introduction of innovative products and services.
- Hemispherx Biopharma: Has devoted nearly three decades to exploring, understanding, and mastering the mechanism of RNA technology.
- iCeutica: Focused on the development of new pharmaceuticals using its proprietary SoluMatrix formulation technology.
- Impax Laboratories: Involved in the development, manufacturing, and marketing of prescription pharmaceutical products.
- Iroko Pharmaceuticals: Focused on the development and commercialization of analgesic products.
- Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Focused on the discovery, research development, and commercialization of products in narcolepsy, oncology, pain, and psychiatry.
- Lannett: Involved in the manufacturing and distribution of generic pharmaceuticals.
- MedImmune: A biotechnology company formed to market products for infectious diseases and transplantation medicine.
- Melior Discovery: Leading contract research provider of phenotypic screening, in vivo pharmacology, drug abuse liability, and seizure potential services.