The Arrival and Maturity of Personalized Medicine and AI
What lies ahead for the future of pharma? Dennis van Rooji gives his view.
| 2 min read | Opinion
What we asked: “Looking ahead to the next 5–10 years, what will be the key disruptors and/or what can be improved upon in the pharma industry?”
Response from: Dennis van Rooji, Managing Director, DT Consulting, an Indegene company
“The pharmaceutical industry has become increasingly collaborative as it looks to harness innovative technology in the pursuit of improving patient outcomes and streamlining drug development. The past decade has already seen some transformative changes, and the next ten years will undoubtedly see many more.
“Two milestone achievements that have profoundly impacted the pharmaceutical industry are the arrival of personalized medicine and advances in data generation and AI.
“The tailored treatments that personalized medicine provides have revolutionized patient outcomes, most notably in oncology with CAR-T. Additionally, advances in genomic sequencing have facilitated the identification of genetic variations that influence drug responses, leading to the development of newly-accurate targeted therapies in oncology and beyond.
“Meanwhile, the digital evolution of clinical trials has brought an exponential increase in data volume, driven by tools such as mobile devices and wearables. This data surge has necessitated advanced data management systems and paved the way for AI solutions, which – though still developing – are starting to enhance clinical trials, by efficiency and accuracy. For instance, machine learning algorithms can now optimize patient recruitment by identifying eligible participants more quickly through electronic health records and social media data.
“The future of clinical development will be influenced by how effectively pharma leverages the key disruptors from recent years. Digital maturity of pharma’s clinical operations has stalled over the past two years, with clinical ops leaders often overlooking the need to get their data management capabilities in order. These are needed to power crucial advanced data analytics that could enhance patient experiences by allowing organizations to predict patient needs, personalize communication, and optimize care pathways. Techniques such as mapping patient journeys, similar to the customer journey mapping carried out in other industries, would help identify critical touchpoints and areas for improvement. These approaches could not only increase patient satisfaction and outcomes but also drive operational efficiency and innovation, in turn advancing pharma’s digital maturity.
“The past decade has seen significant advancements in digital maturity and personalized treatment, yet the journey continues. Looking forward, it is crucial to focus on sustainable digital initiatives, patient-centric approaches, and cross-functional collaboration across pharma’s clinical operations and beyond.
“Personalized medicine is set to have a broader and more scalable impact on pharma once companies’ digital and patient data strategies are effectively aligned. This will be key to enabling value-based care and population health models that focus on prevention rather than just treatment. Ultimately, embracing patient-centric digital strategies in clinical trials will help establish the necessary infrastructure to transform patient outcomes and revolutionize healthcare.”
Read over 100 other views on the future of the pharma industry on our special web page.
