7 Developments to Disrupt Pharma

It’s a strange, new world where rapid change is the only thing you can count on. As we move into 2017, smart Pharma marketers are aware of the significant upheavals in medicine; yet, the industry is in danger unless they learn how to harness these changes.


As you know, Pharmaceutical companies traditionally were innovated by discovery, research and development. For decades, Pharma companies spent billions in R&D to create the best clinical discoveries in medicine and generate superior drugs. In this model, physicians then prescribe these superior drugs to their patients and the manufacturers recoup the billions in research and development that the drug(s) cost to produce. It’s a decade old business model ripe for disruption.

Now, some savvy Pharma executives may argue they’re moving with the times by taking a more customer-centric approach with the emerging ‘beyond the pill’ model that wraps additional services into medicine. That’s useful; however, I don’t believe this is the endgame. Some of the disruptors coming into medicine will change not only the ballgame, but the ballpark itself. For example, can you imagine a future where drugs are not part of the equation for manufacturers anymore? I can already see the technology beginning to assemble for that to happen.

That is the future of Healthcare underway today, and it requires an entirely different approach than traditional Pharma is prepared to embrace.

7 Disruptions to the Pharma Industry

As a researcher, founder and CEO of a Pharma-focused Artificial Intelligence analytics firm, I’ve got a ringside seat to many of these disruptors and can see how flexible, cost-effective and accessible they are. It’s an exciting time to be in Healthcare. Let’s take a look.

1. Artificial Intelligence
Of all the disruptors, AI is closest to my heart. We shifted the company from using traditional mathematical models to applying AI to our client’s projects a few years ago, and the results have been tremendous. The projects are more fascinating and the results far more powerful when AI is included.
One project we have been working on will be changing the landscape of Oncology treatment decisions using a combination of AI techniques, including machine learning, deep learning, evolutionary computation and more. As an example, you may know that Johns Hopkins reports the number of patients dying from inaccurate diagnosis to be around 40,500 annually, just in the U.S. This is not an insignificant number, nor is it the physicians’ fault in many cases. It is purely that there are many conditions with similar symptoms – not to mention around 8,000 ultra-rare diseases. In addition, there are millions of updates in the medical literature regularly. It’s impossible for anyone to keep up-to-the-minute updates in their knowledge banks. However, AI promises to solve such problems. By pitting a panel of 4 top Oncologists against AI to diagnose tumor progression from diagnostics scans and tests, the AI outperformed the Oncologists by a disturbingly high margin.
When it comes to diagnosis, I suspect the near future will be fully AI. We already have devices like the tricorder that are scanning the body and diagnosing 13 conditions. This will constantly improve to far greater levels. It is expected that by 2020, and certainly by 2025, AI diagnosis will be implemented in around 90% of all hospitals in the US and 60% of global hospitals.

2. Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy is a fascinating area and one of the fastest growing sectors in Cancer research. As you know, the focus of this therapy is on strengthening the patient’s own immune system so that they can better fight Cancer cells. Cancer researchers are exploring multiple avenues, including treatments that target specific Cancer cells and even Cancer vaccines for prevention or treating certain types of Cancer.

3. Liquid Biopsy
This technique is a non-invasive way to monitor Cancer cells. Traditionally, Cancer patients have needed repeated biopsies to monitor a tumor, and that is stressful on the patient. A liquid biopsy, on the other hand, allows Cancer cell extraction from a blood sample. Instead of requiring a procedure, patients can give a blood sample and have it analyzed for blood biomarkers, such as ctDNA and CTCs, to see if the Cancer has returned. Additionally, a liquid biopsy can be used for anyone as part of a standard medical exam to check for the presence of Cancer cells, which means Cancer can be caught earlier, thereby increasing survival rates.

4. CRISPR/Cas9
You may have heard of CISPR/Cas9. This is a genome editing technique that allows scientists to make precise modifications to the DNA in order to “cut out” viruses. CRISPR stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats. Essentially, existing DNA recognizes invading DNA – such as from a virus – and is able to create ‘space’ around the infected molecules… kind of like a quarantine. This creates a new strand of DNA within the organism. CRISPR can zero in on these rogue DNA strands and easily modify them. Scientists report their experiments have worked in mice, monkeys, human stem cells and agriculture. While we don’t know what this means for the future of genetic modification, we do know the implications are groundbreaking. It’s very easy to use and has the potential to transform Pharma R&D. Interestingly, venture capital funded startups – not big Pharma – are the largest users.

5. 3D Printing
3D Printing has the potential to revolutionize Healthcare and offer truly personalized medicine from drugs, and organ and tissue repair. We already have an FDA approved 3D printed drug, Spritam, for Epilepsy. Aprecia Pharmaceuticals, who printed Spritam, are already working on at least another 3 new drugs that will also be 3D printed. The 3D printing process they use is called ZipDose which prints the drug layer by layer. One advantage of the drug is that it disintegrates in the mouth with just a touch of water, making it great for those who have difficulty swallowing. It is fascinating to think of the applications when marrying this with personalized medicine. At this time, the largest use of 3D printing in the Healthcare sphere is for Orthopedic implants, like prosthetics, and devices such as dental implants. However, the technology is improving and it’s expected that soon we’ll be able to print organs, like livers and hearts, as well as ears, hands and eyes. This has the potential to make waiting for an organ transplant a thing of the past.

6. Nanobot Tech
Last year I wrote about the work done with nanobots and the dog’s olfactory system. In the article, I shared how nanobots are able to replace dogs in dangerous jobs, such as sniffing out bombs. I also discussed the groundbreaking work being done in this space that, one day in the not-too-distant future, will potentially eradicate Type II Diabetes and, potentially, drugs themselves. In addition to these applications, it’s predicted that nanomedibots (nanobots used in the medical field) will be able to find diseased or damaged tissues and target drug delivery just to the area that requires it. For example, current Cancer treatments involve whole body radiation in the hopes that it will find and kill the diseased cells. With nanomedibots, the tiny mechanisms will be able to flow through the body looking for diseased cells. Plus, nanobot technology may be able to scrub artery walls of plaque and find weak areas in the arteries, which will improve Cardiovascular health. They may also provide early warning signals in case of organ failure. I’m sure you’ll agree these are useful applications that Pharma should seriously be considering because they may replace drugs in the future.

7. Digital Health Start-Ups
Digital health is one of the hottest and largest areas of venture capital funding, as you may know. I am on the advisory board of an Internet of Things health start-up, doing very impressive work using IOT and analyzing it with AI to collect real-world patient data. Some of these are doing great work with handheld 3D scanners that send data to the cloud for AI analysis. These kinds of projects marry digital health and AI to transform the Healthcare of the future.