My HPRA: Register

Peter Twomey

GCP and Pharmacovigilance Inspector

Peter joined the HPRA as a pharmacy intern in 2011 while completing a Master of Pharmacy degree from The Royal College of Surgeons and training to become a registered pharmacist. Peter worked in the area of Pharmaceutical Assessment, which contributes to the assessment and licencing of medicines.

After the internship, Peter moved to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in London to undertake a traineeship in Manufacturing and Quality Compliance

P Twomey timeline - Grad Prog

 


P TWOMEY


In 2012, Peter secured a position in the area of pharmacovigilance (drug safety) with a pharmaceutical company in Ireland. Peter worked his way up to become the manager of the department and a Qualified Person for Pharmacovigilance.

Peter moved to the UK in 2015 to take up the position of a Pharmacovigilance Inspector with the UK medicines regulator, the MHRA. In 2017, Peter returned to the HPRA to take up the position of a Good Clinical Practice (Clinical Trials) and Pharmacovigilance Inspector.


“As the role contributes to the protection of patient safety, having the opportunity to work as an inspector in such an area is a great privilege. Experience of working in such a position is highly sought after and a fantastic opportunity for career development. The internship with the HPRA was instrumental in helping me to progress my career in this area, I cannot speak highly enough of it. If you are interested in a career in the area of health products, my advice would be to apply for the graduate programme!”

Peter’s Advice:

  • The internship with the HPRA was a fantastic opportunity and I believe it opened a lot of doors for me in a very fruitful and rewarding career to date. I would highly recommend applying for the graduate programme.
  • Keep an open mind, when I started my training as a pharmacist I never considered a career in pharmaceutical regulation, however, throughout university I began to develop a strong interest in this area the more I learned about it. I really enjoy working in this field.
  • Don’t underestimate how rewarding it can be to work in an area which helps to protect patient safety. It is very rewarding to see positive changes companies have made as a result of activities of the HPRA that you may have been involved in. Everyone in the organisation has an important part to play.