Healthcare Technology Featured Article

May 31, 2022

How Cutting-Edge Tech Innovations Are Transforming the Pharma Industry




In 2022, it's no secret that technology is advancing at a rapid pace. From driverless cars to AI-powered smartwatches, tech has enabled entrepreneurs and business leaders alike to champion sustainable progress in nearly every industry.

But there are some industries that often get overlooked when it comes to technological advancements. Let's talk about pharma.

Pharmaceuticals play a pivotal role in everyday health and life for millions of people worldwide. So. you'd think that this industry would be highly prioritized when it comes to innovation, right? Well, not quite.

The pharmaceutical industry is one of the most traditional industries out there, with very little focus on innovation and even less on modernizing medicine through technological advancement.

Nevertheless, in the last few years, the industry has opened up to the idea of using technology to deliver better patient experiences and maximize cost-efficiency. In this blog, we’ve compiled a list of the top tech innovations in pharmaceuticals today (and what they mean for the future). Let’s take a look.

Digital Hubs for Pharma Companies

As a biopharmaceutical company, you probably want to be at the forefront of technology innovation. After all, it's your job to make sure that your products are as safe and effective as possible before they enter the market. But sometimes it can feel like there's too much going on in one place at once—and not just for you but also for your employees!

With this in mind, hub services for pharmaceutical companies can be a life-saver. They serve as a centralized dashboard where you can monitor and optimize drug distribution and improve patient access.

These services, created by third-party vendors, specialize in providing a wide range of tech services for pharmaceutical companies. They include:

  • Clinical Research Hub Services
  • Secondary Data Management & Monitoring
  • Clinical Trial Lifecycle Management
  • eClinical Solution

These valuable resources allow everyone, from top executives down to clinical research associates and statisticians, to focus on their specific tasks rather than worrying about how those tasks will be accomplished digitally.

Next-Generation Sequencing

Next-generation sequencing is the process of sequencing DNA, RNA, or protein fragments using high throughput sequencing technologies. It allows scientists to sequence large numbers of genomes and genes in a matter of days, thus letting them uncover genetic information that would have taken years before.

The technology has many uses in medicine. For example, it helps doctors diagnose diseases and predict outcomes based on a patient's genetics. Also, it helps researchers discover new drug targets for treating diseases like cancer or diabetes.

Advanced Drug Delivery Systems

Drug delivery systems are an essential part of the pharmaceutical industry. They are used to deliver drugs to the body and have been around in various forms for centuries. In a time when patients have more options than ever before when it comes to treatment, drug delivery systems will continue to be an important part of carrying out this mission.

The three main categories of drug delivery systems include intravenous (IV), transdermal, and oral medications. Intravenous medications are injected directly into your bloodstream through a needle or catheter inserted into your veins by a doctor or nurse.

New-age transdermal medication patches allow you to wear them on your skin until they dissolve over time; they're then absorbed through your skin into the bloodstream, where they can be distributed throughout the body via small amounts of blood flow passing through the patch itself.

Transdermal drug delivery systems are particularly useful for chronic ailments, such as diabetes, that require patients to take frequent doses of medication throughout the day.

Aerosolized Formulations

Aerosolized formulations are a method of drug delivery that involves the formation and administration of a drug-containing aerosol. Aerosolized drugs can be used for various applications, including respiratory conditions such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and cystic fibrosis.

They also provide pain relief from musculoskeletal disorders like rheumatoid arthritis, dermatological diseases including psoriasis, and cancer treatment. The benefit of aerosolization is that it's more efficient than traditional oral or injectable administration since it allows for increased bioavailability by bypassing first-pass metabolism in the liver.

Microfluidics and Continuous Manufacturing

Microfluidics involves the study of fluids at the micro-scale. It’s used in a range of applications, from water purification to blood analysis, and has earned its place as one of today's hottest technologies; however, you may not know that it also plays an important role within pharmaceuticals.

Pharmaceutical companies use microfluidics to make smaller and more efficient devices, such as sensors, pumps, mixers, and analytical tools, that can be integrated into a continuous manufacturing process (CMP).

CMPs are being used by pharmaceutical manufacturers all over the world because they provide greater flexibility when formulating medicines or modifying existing drugs, so they're better suited for specific uses or patient populations.

Mining of Bioactive Molecules

The mining of bioactive molecules from environmental sources has become a promising approach for the discovery of new drugs. The initial aim is to identify bioactive molecules that are unique and not found in other sources. Bioactive molecules must also be stable in their environment, easy to isolate and purify, and safe for human use.

In Conclusion

The pharmaceutical industry has a reputation for being slow to adopt new technology. But that's starting to change as companies realize the importance of embracing the latest developments and innovations.

As the global population ages, there's an increasing need for medicines that improve our quality of life as we age. With this in mind, companies must be able to deliver better products quickly—and that requires up-to-date technology.

In addition to improving products and services, many pharmaceuticals are looking at how they can save money by using new technologies like AI and blockchain. Because these tools reduce costs on things like personnel management (by automating process tasks) or supply chain management (by reducing error rates), they're essential tools for any company trying to navigate today's competitive landscape.



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