Introduction:
New to this year’s HLTH event, the Pharma & Life Sciences Insights Program, included with HLTH 2023 registration, will spotlight the transformative potential of advanced digital technologies and the impact of a robust digital health strategy on drug discovery, personalized treatments and improving patient outcomes. Bringing together esteemed panels of scientists, digital health experts, innovators and tech pioneers, the Insights program will explore the power and potential of innovation in shaping a healthier and more inclusive future for patients.
Technologies are reshaping healthcare
Technological advancements are reshaping our understanding of disease, addressing complex clinical research problems and charting new horizons in personalized medical treatments.
Personalized healthcare is comprised of technologies that tailor treatment and medical care by combining conventional clinical datasets, molecular signatures such as genetics, environment, lifestyle and personal needs. By utilizing technologies that improve patient access and remove barriers to care and treatments, offering targeted options and decentralized trials, innovations are optimizing health and holistically supporting patients’ needs. Some of the key innovations in this area include digital healthcare solutions with technologies connecting digital patient information/EHRs with wearable devices, mobile apps, telehealth and digital assistants using AI.
AI and machine learning as well as other ground breaking technologies are also enabling faster identification of potential drug candidates, ensuring seamless data harmonization and optimizing predictive modeling, thus reducing the time and cost of drug development. With the increasing trend of “omics” data integration— genomics, proteomics and metabolomics— translational genomics are combining genetic and clinical data as a foundation for precision medicine. This is enabling research into the interplay between genetics and gene regulation for understanding drug-drug interactions and the design of drug combinations.
AI-enabled clinical trials, where algorithms efficiently handle patient recruitment, monitoring and data analysis, saves both time and resources for industry. A recent FDA pilot program— Innovative Science and Technology Approaches for New Drugs (ISTAND)— incentivizes the use of AI-based algorithms to evaluate patients, develop novel endpoints and inform study designs. AI algorithms will help identify novel targets or new indications for existing drugs and discover biomarkers that can optimize trial designs, and ultimately impact the drug development value chain.
Implementing a digital strategy
For pharma and life sciences leaders, there exists important strategic and operational considerations for applying these advanced technologies to reduce drug development risk and costs, leveraging partnerships to enhance safety and efficiency in clinical trials, and empowering patients on the journey towards personalized health.
Digital tools have the capacity to diminish drug development risks, reduce costs, increase clinical trial safety and efficiency, and diversify trial participants. Novel patient-centric interaction approaches are currently implemented to engage patients more proactively in R&D and real-world evidence. Clinical trials are accelerated, decentralized and increasingly include digital endpoints, biosensors, home nursing, patient-centric sampling and remote clinical trial recruitment and monitoring strategies.
There exists a need in building a robust digital strategy that also leverages external partnerships and improves infrastructural capabilities to enable better health and treatment outcomes for patients. To support these networks and protect sensitive patient data and patient rights in the whole process, technologies such as cloud-based data systems and platforms have been developed. These are utilized for interactions with regulatory agencies, for sharing datasets between industry and academia, for public–private partnerships, and for managing cross-industry partnerships and multidisciplinary initiatives.
The future of digital health solutions
Technology will evolve to foresee complex health risks, enable early interventions and AI-driven care will be personalized, predictive and proactive.
Streamlining real-time patient engagement, coupled with the continuous collection of real-world data, creates unique opportunities for accelerating clinical trial recruitment, enhancing patient diversity, improving trial safety and retention, and delivering more personal insights and treatment options.
Additionally, real world opportunities for actualizing digital advances for better care are evolving to include a wider range of stakeholders including patients, providers, pharmacies, digital health start-ups and patient advocacy groups, alongside pharma and medical device companies. This holds promise for a broader, more inclusive approach in shaping the future of healthcare and improving access to care and treatment choices for patients.
About the HLTH Insights Program
Hosted in collaboration with Fierce Pharma, the Pharma & Life Sciences Insights Program aims to demystify the promising potential and complexities of digital advancements, focusing on their real-world application in reshaping healthcare and promoting a healthier future for all.
“HLTH is the one place where the entire health ecosystem gathers to understand the latest innovations shaping the future of health for all. For HLTH 2023, we wanted to delve deeper into the contributions of pharma and life sciences, spotlighting the crucial digital advances in research and patient care that today’s health leaders should know about.
That is why we are excited to debut the HLTH Pharma & Life Sciences Insights Program— in collaboration with Fierce Pharma— to peer into the world of digital technologies and its impact on the future of research and enabling better and more precise treatment and care choices for patients.” — Alison Drone, Head of Strategy at HLTH.
Conclusion:
As healthcare continues to evolve, HLTH presents an extraordinary platform for thought leaders to direct the trajectory of healthcare towards better quality and access, personalized treatments and a more compassionate patient experience.
Learn more about the HLTH Insights Program and attend HLTH 2023 with your all-inclusive pass to programming, networking, and entertainment. Register here today.
The HLTH Pharma & Life Sciences Insights Program is supported by GoodRX, Roche, Digitas Health, Healthline Media and Takeda.