Intelligent Health.tech Issue 05 | Page 50

SOMETIMES LAGGING CAN BE A GOOD THING BECAUSE YOU CAN LEARN FROM OTHER INDUSTRIES .
S P E C I A L I S T I N S I G H T

SOMETIMES LAGGING CAN BE A GOOD THING BECAUSE YOU CAN LEARN FROM OTHER INDUSTRIES .

However , to connect value chains these silos need to be broken down .
Companies also fall into these data silos due to ‘ cultural inertia ’. For a long time , having a shared culture was not something pharma did . Individuals and their teams accumulated their own data for their own purposes . Only now are we beginning to see this evolve . But people are still very much driven by their own motives when sharing data within the value chain .
Why are they commonly found within healthcare ?
Pharma is a large , complex industry where people work in total isolation . If you look at the traditional production cycle of a new drug , it takes between seven to nine years to produce . Hypothetically , the scientists who discovered this drug could be working on something completely different by the time it hits the market . The timescale can massively hinder the sharing of data .
I think the second part of it is that pharma wasn ’ t compelled to share internal data before , so why bother now ? This industry has been allowed to perform as it always has . Before , it didn ' t feel the pressure or a need to do something differently , but now it does .
How can companies break down barriers in a data ecosystem , enabling betterinformed decision-making ?
The starting point will always be to prove the value of your product to every stakeholder involved . Until people see that , the value chain will not change . The individual needs to understand that what they do now will benefit them eventually , due to all your employees being connected through this value chain . What goes around , comes back around .
Also , introduce an ‘ ecosystem of solutions ’ that are leveraging common data sets . We see customers trying to do this , where they go from paper to digital , but remain in isolation due to their systems not being connected . You ’ ll be much more successful if there is connectivity and accessibility .
There is also a huge demand for Manufacturing Execution Systems ( MES ) – specialist software that allows for documented , guided execution of SOPs , which minimises human error and greatly reduces risk of deviations . These systems drastically reduce review times which means product is ready to go sooner . And this can be a critical factor in getting medicines distributed to the patients that need them .
What technologies will help businesses keep up with increased market demand and external pressure ?
Sometimes lagging can be a good thing because you can learn from other industries . These newer technologies afford pharma the opportunity to ‘ leapfrog ’ ahead . I think the pharmaceutical industry is already recognising this because they are hiring experts from other industries to help them get ahead .
Pharma , at its core , is an integral manufacturing sector . And in this industry , products need to be held to the highest quality standard , while still delivering expected margins to shareholders , and at a pace that keeps up with demand . So only by capitalising on pre-existing technologies and experiences will the pharma industry be able to stay ahead of external pressures . �
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