Legal requirements for working as a pharmaceutical consultant

In Germany, the Arzneimittelgesetz (AMG) regulates who is authorized to advise doctors and other healthcare professionals on medicines.

Section 75 of the AMG lists the professions that have the required ‘expertise as a pharmaceutical consultant’ by law, i.e. with one of these professions you can work as a pharmaceutical consultant without further training. These professional requirements are: a degree in biology, chemistry, pharmacy, medicine (human medicine, veterinary medicine), training as a PTA, MTA (MTLA, MTRA, VMTA), BTA, CTA or as a certified pharmaceutical sales representative.

In addition, other examinations taken, or training courses completed may also be recognised as sufficient if they are at least equivalent to one of the training courses specified in the law. Such recognition of expertise as a pharmaceutical sales representative must be applied for individually at the responsible state authority – usually the regional councils. If it is granted, a pharmaceutical consultant is also authorised to advise doctors and other healthcare professionals on pharmaceutical issues.

The training that generally leads to the granting of expertise as a pharmaceutical counsellor includes, for example, a degree in ecotrophology, biochemistry or human biology.

Your profession is not listed? Then you can acquire the IHK qualification of Certified Pharmaceutical Sales Representative through further training.

Even if you do not have one of the above-mentioned qualifications, it is possible to acquire the legally required expertise as a pharmaceutical sales representative through further training if certain professional requirements are met.

AMS offers further training to become a certified pharmaceutical sales representative as an online course, regardless of location. This means that you are independent of whether there is a pharmaceutical school nearby, can take part in the further training from anywhere and can determine your own learning times.

We have been organising trainings to become a certified pharmaceutical sales representative via our web-based training portal since 2001. Our many years of experience with this type of knowledge transfer and the competent personal support for our participants from online tutors characterise our Internet-Pharmaschule (1.IPS). Find out more, click here.

For pure self-learners who want to do without personal support and thus save costs, we recommend our ‘Self-study course for pharmaceutical sales representatives’, which offers the same learning content as the supervised course. Find out more here: Cost-effective further training to become a pharmaceutical sales representative via self-study. Click here

Qualify at our 1.Internet-Pharmaschule (1.IPS) for the pharmaceutical sales force through online training with a recognised IHK qualification as a Certified Pharmaceutical Sales Representative!

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

about working as a pharmaceutical sales representative at AMS are answered here.

The statements can also be largely transferred to other fields of activity in the AMS sales force (e.g. pharmacy sales force, medical device sales force, etc.).

General requirements

In principle, experienced professionals and career starters are equally welcome. However, there are different requirements for the individual vacancies, which are specified by our clients. The vacancy for which we can consider your application therefore depends not only on geographical but also on technical requirements.

Take a look at our careers page for vacancies, click here.