The term “digital transformation” has now become a “reality” in most industries including the Life sciences industry. This is particularly true in the aftermath of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. From manufacturing to clinical trials to supply chains, multiple avenues in life sciences are “ripe” for digital transformation.

According to Deloitte, only 20% of biopharma companies have reached digital maturity. The 2023 IDC FutureScope report predicts the impact of digital transformation in the following areas of the life sciences industry:

  • Patient experience
  • Intelligent drug delivery
  • Precision therapies
  • Cybersecurity
  • Digital health

By embracing digital transformation, life sciences companies can directly respond to dynamic market changes and drive innovation. The IDC Future Scope report highlights “competitiveness” and “outcome” as the business imperative in the life sciences sector.

What are the life science challenges that are hindering digital transformation – and how can technology help? Here are 5 key challenges:

  • Operational costs

Globally, it costs life sciences companies $2.6 billion to develop a new drug or medicine. This cost has more than doubled over the last decade. High inflation costs – including a 30-year high in developed economies – are also a major challenge for the life sciences industry. Additionally, they face cost-related concerns like rising labor costs and rising costs of fulfilling regulatory requirements.

In this competitive industry, companies need to maximize their revenues by minimizing costs. Digital technologies like intelligent automation can speed up patient monitoring, drug development, and regulatory compliance. With business intelligence and analytics, life sciences companies can optimize costs by:

  • Streamlining daily operations and tracking cost-performance metrics.
  • Ensuring regulatory compliance through periodic financial statements.
  • Digitizing business processes for efficiency and cost-savings.

 

  • Research & Development (R&D)

87% of R&D scientists agree on their over-reliance on individuals or selected teams. This makes it challenging for life science companies to build on R&D findings and experiments.

For global companies, collaboration is an essential requirement for teams to work on a successful delivery and experiments. Digital technologies are the way forward for global researchers to collaborate and analyze real-time data. 

For example, AI-powered algorithms can automatically detect data patterns. Similarly, immersive technologies like virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) can simulate “real-world experiments” at much lower costs.

 

  • Shortage of skills

According to the latest reports, the pharmaceutical and life sciences industry is expected to face a 35% talent shortage by 2030. 

With the growing innovations in these industries, there’s a growing demand for skilled professionals proficient in digital technologies like AI, machine learning, and data analytics. The skills shortage is also driving up talent hiring and retention efforts and costs. Life sciences have to compete to recruit candidates from a limited talent pool.

Besides investing in the right talent, life sciences companies need to adopt a “digital-first culture” that fosters an environment of innovation, creativity, and experimentation. With this digital culture, companies can empower employees to adopt the latest technologies and drive innovation.

 

  • Clinical trials

Clinical trials play a crucial role in the area of drug research and development in the life sciences sector. About 80% of clinical trials are delayed or terminated due to poor recruitment of participants. Similarly, 37% of research facilities fail to recruit a sufficient number of participants for clinical trials.

This poor performance is primarily because of continued reliance on manual methods (including emails) of contacting participants. Additionally, life sciences companies require real-time data to know the precise impact of the under-trial drug on the human body.

Through digital transformation, companies can improve the accuracy and efficiency of clinical trials. One effective method is by automating the manual processes of data collection and analysis. For instance, electronic data capture systems can collect real-time data for clinical trials.

 

  • Supply chain disruptions

The year 2024 (Quarter 1) recorded a total number of 3850 supply chain disruptions in the healthcare sector.  This marks a 40% increase in disruption over 2023 (Quarter 1).

Right from the time of the global pandemic, supply chain disruptions have been a regular occurrence across industries. According to Deloitte, life sciences companies are driving glocalization – globalization + localization – to shorten their supply chains. Growing economies are also looking for government support to improve their national infrastructure and capacity.

Through a comprehensive assessment, life sciences companies can detect flaws or inefficiencies in their supply chains. Using Big data and analytics, they can mitigate inflationary concerns and reduce costs.

 

Conclusion

The life sciences sector continues to change at “breakneck” speed in 2024 and beyond. Companies need a mix of capabilities like business agility, collaboration, and decision-making to drive through the challenges listed in this blog.

Trinus is driving the next wave of digital transformation for its global clientele with its technology-led services in:

  • Business intelligence and analytics
  • Data management
  • IT Consulting
  • Staffing

With our customized solutions, you can gain better visibility into your life sciences operations. Our partnership can help you uncover new business opportunities and improve your bottom-line revenue.

If you want more information, contact us now.