Managing Biotechnology

Chapter 9Digital Health Strategies

Introduction

For the past several years, digital technology has transformed the healthcare landscape, from analytics-enabled research to Web-driven consumer empowerment. Biopharma R & D is being optimized by analytics tools such as IBM Watson Health, applying cognitive computing to genomic, clinical trial, and claims databases. Trials themselves are evolving, as randomized, double-blind models integrate patient-reported outcomes. Consumers are driving the rapid adoption of smartphones and biosensors such as Fitbit and the Apple Watch, and they are increasingly participating in product development through online patient communities. This new landscape reflects the convergence of infotech and healthcare, from Apple's ResearchKit, codeveloped with the Mayo Clinic and other health systems, to Samsung's biosensors and new entrants such as Proteus Digital Health.

This chapter will first cover the impact of digital health on the biopharma value chain, from R & D to commercial activities. It will then focus on consumer-driven trends including wearable sensors and social media. It will finally cover provider-centered telemedicine initiatives, from e-consults to remote drug monitoring and the rise of new, on-demand medical services. Chapter 10 examines how companies can leverage data and analytics to improve their agility across the same value chain.

Biopharma Digital Strategies

New R & D Patient-Centric Models

The traditional drug development model ...