The adoption of the latest technologies allows the pharmaceutical industry to keep up with the times. It also allows pharmaceutical companies to enhance the efficiency of drug production. Efficient medicine production allows these companies to meet the general population’s needs, especially when it comes to situations such as the current global pandemic we are facing.
While the industry uses a lot of technology to accomplish this, there are a few cutting-edge technologies capable of reshaping the entire pharmaceutical industry. Here are those technologies
AI and ML
A lot of industries are using artificial intelligence (AI) for some time already. Among the industries using the technology is the pharmaceutical industry, but it focuses mainly on data management, identifying inefficiencies within a healthcare system, and medication management. On the other hand, machine learning (ML) is used for clinical trial research, radiotherapy planning, the identification and diagnosis of diseases, and rare disease identification.
But these two technologies can do more than simple, repetitive work within the pharmaceutical industry. They have the potential of reshaping the industry and bring it to the next level. One of the things these technologies can do is to go through patient data and analyze the effects of a drug when it’s used.
The technologies can perform simulations of the human body’s physiology based on the previous records of different patients. It can also facilitate the use of in vivo permeability test equipment in checking the absorption level of these drugs in the body.
Pharmaceutical companies can also integrate AI and ML into most of their research and development operations. Aside from testing the effects of the drug, it can also help improve the success rate in the development of drugs. Additionally, AI and ML can also help streamline the research and development efforts of the company.
AR and VR
Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are mainly used for educational and training purposes. These technologies can annotate, visualize, and tell stories. Different industries use this technology, including education, healthcare, retail, real estate, and gaming.
For the pharmaceutical industry, AR and VR allow companies to engage doctors while researching drugs and medication needed for some diseases. Their ability to create detailed virtual worlds gives them a host of opportunities within the industry. It allows these companies to visualize any interactions with medical professionals and make it easier to redesign or even re-engineer the medicine or drugs they are producing.
Healthcare Mobile Apps
Even as pharmaceutical companies focused on manufacturing drugs in the past, this isn’t applicable today. It’s essential for these companies not to limit themselves to providing physical drugs. They can offer mobile applications or devices that doctors can prescribe to patients and the medication they manufacture.
The medication packages can include wearable devices with applications that allow the patients to remain in touch with their doctors. The apps can also provide information the patients need about their health and the medication they provide.
Additionally, these pharmaceutical companies’ healthcare mobile applications can help patients with chronic disease locate medical centers and hospitals close to their location. These apps can also facilitate the ordering of medicine or check if any issues will emerge when the patients take two different types of drugs.
Moreover, these apps can also allow the patients to connect with their health providers to remove the need for processing a lot of documents to use from their services. The insurance companies will also see the patients’ prescriptions through the app so that they can decide whether the insurance covers the medication.
Using healthcare mobile apps facilitates everything and makes the entire process fast and simple.
3D-Printing Drugs
The concept of 3D printing was once stuff for science fiction stories. But the development of Zipdose in 2015 by Aprecia Pharmaceuticals changed everything. The technology allows manufacturers to 3D print medicine. The technology allowed the manufacturers to produce the first 3D printed medicine approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The drug, Spritam, is used to treat epilepsy.
When the technology gains widespread use, it will change the way companies produce medicine. It will also change the supply chain within the industry. The technology also allows pharmacies and hospitals to print medicine. It can even allow clinics to print medicine in fun shapes to make them appealing to young children.
The technology can upend the industry since it means medical facilities will not have to rely on supplies coming from the manufacturer since they can print drugs in-house.
The pharmaceutical industry is gradually adopting the latest technology to enhance research and development and make the process of manufacturing medication fast and efficient.
