Unlocking AI's potential: Transforming healthcare commercialisation

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As the race to deliver personalised engagement at scale gains pace, artificial intelligence (AI) has become a critical differentiator for pharma companies. Yet, despite the promise of these advanced technologies, many healthcare organisations struggle to implement and scale these solutions effectively.

This challenge was the focus of the recent pharmaphorum webinar, ‘The AI Effect in Pharma Commercial Strategy: From Data to Real-Time Insights and Actions’, sponsored by Trueblue.

Featuring industry leaders, Vice President of Strategy & Partnerships at Trueblue, Charm Legrand, Chief Commercial Officer at Trueblue, Sergio Romoli, Healthcare & Life Sciences Industry Advisor EMEA, Microsoft, Andrew Graley, and Global Insights Analytics Solution & Strategy Lead, in Global Medical Affairs, Boehringer Ingelheim, Enric Sabata, the session distilled three key themes central to AI's role in advancing the pharmaceutical sector: addressing adoption challenges, driving personalisation, and leveraging data for informed decision-making.

The human side of technological transformation

At the heart of AI's potential lies one question that each company must address: "What do we need as an organisation?" This question, according to Romoli, can be fundamental to successful integration.

"We never use the technology for technology itself, but just if we see some value for our customer," he explained.

Value, the panel agreed, is key in a rapidly evolving sector. The hype and controversy surrounding AI is complex, and decision makers often find themselves constricted by uncertainty – unclear returns on investment, organisational resistance, and a fundamental lack of understanding about AI's practical applications. However, as Legrand highlighted, these are not technological problems, but human ones.

Romoli emphasised the critical importance of incremental implementation. "It's not about implementing everything at once," he explained. "Instead, start small, focus on specific areas, and build on successful outcomes." He also cautioned against what he called the 'boardroom expectation task', where executive interest in AI pushes individuals to seek out use-cases that do not fit their needs. "Head back to 'What is your business? What are you really looking to improve?' And then, think about the technology and use just the little piece of technology that is useful for that particular purpose," he noted.

Personalisation: The new competitive frontier

The traditional approach of broad-stroke marketing is rapidly becoming obsolete. Healthcare providers now engage through multiple platforms, demanding interactions that are not just targeted, but deeply relevant. AI makes this possible by analysing past behaviours, preferences, and interaction patterns to craft communications that feel individually produced.

"Generative AI specifically has been a big enabler of driving personalisation at scale and being able to scale that across many channels," explained Legrand.

She described how AI-driven tools are enabling precisely tailored interactions with healthcare providers and highlighted examples where AI analyses providers' past behaviours and interaction preferences to create marketing messages and field strategies that feel uniquely relevant. "It's not just about reaching HCPs, but understanding their needs deeply and engaging in a way that truly resonates," Legrand said. This approach is shifting conversations from transactional exchanges to meaningful, insight-driven engagements.

Field force representatives are experiencing this transformation most directly. AI-driven tools now provide advanced pre-call planning, intelligent content recommendations, and sophisticated sentiment analysis customer journeys analysis, which may be unfamiliar to field agents reps. Change management becomes paramount in addressing this challenge.

“When we're launching this in the field force, the typical age of a field force user – about 50 to 60% is over 50 years old," explained Legrand. "The technology landscape when they first started their career versus now is very different, so that requires a very empathetic approach to help explain how they can shift to using this new technology."

Patience, she stressed, is a core virtue in helping field forces navigate this transition.

"Change might not always be linear, so you have to see it as an ongoing process where you help people adapt and adopt new ways of working," she noted, highlighting transparent communication, targeted training programmes, and a clear articulation of AI's value proposition as essential tools.

Data: The strategic goldmine

AI's power lies in its ability to extract actionable insights from complex data landscapes. From identifying prescribing patterns to optimising supply chains and even discovering potential new therapeutic uses for existing drugs, the possibilities are extraordinary. However, this potential is contingent on robust data governance.

"Some pharmaceutical companies have 20 to 30 years of data that they are now starting to use properly to make informed decisions," observed Graley. This vast repository of information represents more than historical records – it’s a strategic asset waiting to be unlocked.

"Poor data quality leads to poor results," he warned, highlighting the critical collaboration required between IT and commercial teams. The most effective AI implementations emerge from a delicate balance between technological capability and human expertise. Sabata further underscored this point, sharing an anecdote about a company that struggled to align its analytics team with its commercial objectives until it implemented regular cross-functional workshops.

The integration of social determinants of health represents a particularly promising frontier. By incorporating factors such as income levels, geographic disparities, and community health indicators, AI can drive not just efficiency, but genuine equity in healthcare solutions. "We are now able to understand patient populations in ways we couldn't before," Graley added, citing an example of a predictive model that helped identify underserved communities for targeted interventions.

Beyond technology: A holistic approach

Drawing from his experience, Sabata provided a grounding perspective that cuts through the technological excitement. "Never outsource a problem to AI," he cautioned – a powerful reminder that technology serves human strategy, not the reverse. AI should enhance well-defined processes, not become a catch-all solution.

The most compelling vision emerges not from technological capabilities, but from a holistic approach to innovation. It's about using every available piece of information to make smarter, more inclusive healthcare decisions that genuinely improve patient outcomes. Sabata shared how his team uses AI to supplement – not replace – their human-led analysis in forecasting and market planning.

The path forward: Strategic innovation

For organisations hesitant about AI adoption, the panel's message is clear: don't let fear of imperfection hold you back. Start with practical applications, embrace continuous learning, and view AI as a strategic partner in achieving business vision.

As Legrand explained: "AI is a means to achieve your business vision, not a substitute for it." The most successful organisations will be those that approach AI with strategic thoughtfulness and a commitment to continuous learning.

To dive deeper into these insights and explore the practical applications of AI in pharmaceutical commercialisation, we invite you to watch the full webinar, ‘The AI Effect in Pharma Commercial Strategy: From Data to Real-Time Insights and Actions’. Hear directly from industry leaders about how AI is reshaping healthcare engagement, learn from real-world examples, and discover strategies for meaningful technological integration.

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