Exclusive live coverage: Frontiers Health 2017
What does the cutting-edge of digital health look like? Which innovations are on the cusp of becoming a mainstream reality and who is it that is driving this advancement?
Frontiers Health is a two-day event focused on exactly this; an event which brings together the companies and people who are and will continue to transform the face of medicine and healthcare for the better.
Taking place on the 16-17 November, the pharmaphorum team are on site and will be delivering live exclusive coverage of the full event.
Alternatively, you can review and interact with the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #fh17
For more information on Frontiers Health and the speakers and topics featured please click here
Our coverage from Day One – including profiles of ten cutting edge start-ups can be found by clicking the banner below.
Live coverage of day two will begin at 8.00am GMT on 17th November – plus you can find exclusive insight from key event speakers below the live blogging window.
Recommended Reading
7 questions: Sandoz’s Christian Pawlu
In the fifth in his series of articles with companies involved with this year’s Frontiers Health conference in Berlin, Marco Ricci speaks to head of Divisional Strategy at Sandoz, Christian Pawlu.
Christian Pawlu
Where do you think technology is likely to make the biggest change to pharma?
In the long run, I think artificial intelligence (AI) is set to transform the way the pharma industry operates, as part of the overall data analytics revolution. Its potential impact could be across the value chain, from how we do R&D to ensuring compliance and generating real-world evidence. We will probably also end up seeing robotic surgery, full personalised medicine, tailored disease management, etc. But there’s still a way to go before we get there, and the more immediate impact will probably be in areas such as clinical trials and healthcare delivery.
One very topical example is the appropriate use of antibiotics – topical because this week is Antibiotic Awareness Week. At a media event organised last week by Sandoz, Lord Jim O’Neill, author of the UK government’s Review on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), identified rapid diagnostics as possibly the single most important lever in the battle against AMR, calling for all developed countries to act to end the prescription of antibiotics without an associated diagnostic test by 2020.
What role will pharma play in the adoption of technologies in healthcare?
I think the industry will be just one key player as this area develops. We are already seeing new entrants including Apple and Google evaluating healthcare-related opportunities and Amazon potentially entering the pharmacy distribution chain.
Within the pharma sector, many current opportunities involve use and digitisation of existing data, for instance, to make trials faster, more accurate and less expensive. Novartis, for example, is working with data analytics group QuantumBlack to mine vast troves of existing data on trial site performance across multiple sites.
This is just one part of a broader digital revolution that Novartis believes could reduce costs and timescales by as much as 30%.
What areas of pharma/healthcare are in need of digital disruption?
For the healthcare sector overall, we see potential across the board – starting with the digitalisation of paper records within national healthcare systems!
Overall, while the pharmaceutical industry has not always been the fastest mover in this field to date, the potential for rapid progress now – potentially even ‘skipping a generation’ in technology terms – is enormous. But the needs differ depending on the players and the area they operate in.
At Sandoz, we see two main applications for digital. On the one hand, we are looking at ‘digital transformation’ of the way we work, using new technologies, including big data and software-based automation. But the immediate opportunities involve “digital enablement” – using existing technologies for incremental improvements in areas including e-commerce.
What obstacles remain that are preventing faster uptake of disruptive technologies?
The obvious obstacle is the technologies themselves. When it comes to the transformative options, we are all in learning mode, despite some positive early results. Other obstacles include legal and ethical issues, for instance around the appropriate use of patient-related data, and these should not be underestimated.
And we should not neglect the human factor – it is one thing to roll out smart new apps to drive compliance, but it’s something else to make the majority of people keep using them once the initial ‘thrill’ has worn off.
Where has technology made the biggest impact on pharma/healthcare to date?
We are probably seeing the most immediate impact on healthcare delivery. This ranges from improved diagnostic equipment (macro level) through to smaller innovations that are already making a real difference by driving access to healthcare at the local (micro) level, particularly those based on mobile technologies. The importance of these small, local, technology-driven solutions should not be underestimated when looking at the big picture.
One of my favourite examples comes from the co-winners of our Sandoz HACk competition 2017. They are linking islanders in the Maldives with a database of local hospitals, using geolocation alerts to promote blood donations that can save the lives of children with the blood condition thalassemia.
Regarding your own background, how is your company using technology to improve healthcare?
At Sandoz, we are working to use technologies to improve across our value chain, from the way we innovate to the way we sell and the way we operate.
In terms of how we innovate, this includes a number of ideas to move ‘beyond the pill’, for instance by using software-based approaches. However, this may still be some way in the future. In terms of how we sell, we are exploring ways to optimise pricing and tendering processes, engage more closely with customers, and improve resource allocation. In terms of how we operate, this includes data-powered approaches to portfolio selection, automated regulatory processes, and automated back-office processes.
Which technologies do you think have the most potential for improving healthcare?
To me, clearly AI, but within the overall framework of the data analytics revolution. From a Sandoz perspective, we see particular potential in the long run for beyond-the-pill, technology-based solutions. In the immediate future, we see the most potential in leveraging automated approaches to portfolio selection, regulatory maintenance and automated back-office work.
Frontiers Health will take place in Berlin, Germany on 16-17 November 2017. Christian’s colleague Fiona Cook will be delivering a keynote presentation on day one of the event. To find out more, click here.
Read previous interviews in the series:
7 questions: the Digital Therapeutic Alliance’s Pierre Leurent
In the fourth in his series of articles with speakers from this year’s Frontiers Health conference in Berlin, Marco Ricci speaks to the CEO of one of the founding companies of the Digital Therapeutics Alliance, Voluntis‘ Pierre Leurent.
Pierre Leurent
Where do you think technology is likely to make the biggest change to healthcare?
Changes in healthcare are often driven by innovations in technology. In this era of healthcare, we have seen connected devices, electronic medical records (EMRs), and digital platforms introduce an avalanche of data into the system. This has provided patients, providers and payers with a wealth of information; however, when that data is not integrated back into the direct delivery of patient care, we lose the value of its initial purpose.
In our case, digital therapeutics (DTx) represent a new generation of healthcare that uses innovative, clinically-validated disease management and direct treatment technologies to enhance, and in some cases replace, current medical practices and treatments. These tools rely on sophisticated clinical algorithms to transform this massive wave of technology-generated data into clinical treatment. What used to be unfiltered, unmanaged data is now able to provide actionable insights, enabling people getting the right answers at the right time. These technologies will improve the immediate provision of direct care, in addition to the frameworks and standards that guide clinical practice.
What role will pharma and technology organisations like the Digital Therapeutics Alliance play in the adoption of technologies in healthcare?
What often surprises people is that pharmaceutical manufacturers and DTx companies have started to create strong relationships in this space, working together to promote the adoption and integration of DTx tools into mainstream healthcare. We have complementary capabilities, and thus complementary roles.
DTx companies play a pivotal role in designing relevant, disruptive solutions that engage patients and their providers. To accomplish this, they create innovative kinds of patient-centric interventions based on a robust scientific foundation, conduct human factors testing, gather clinical evidence to prove meaningful healthcare outcomes, and obtain regulatory clearance in all appropriate jurisdictions.
Meanwhile, pharmaceutical companies play a pivotal role in running large-scale clinical and economical trials, obtaining reimbursement for these services, distribute DTx solutions to healthcare providers, gather real-world evidence, and combine digital treatments with their medications and/or their patient support programmes.
What areas of healthcare are in need of digital disruption?
Chronic conditions place an incredible burden on patients and healthcare systems around the world. We have seen that purely medication-based chronic disease treatments have not yielded sufficient real-world outcomes to reverse the growing incidence and severity of these conditions.
DTx solutions, used either as companion or standalone treatments, greatly benefit patients, providers, and payers who are managing chronic conditions. They account for patient preferences and tailor to peoples’ clinical needs, goals, and lifestyles. This can lead to improvements in the real-world safety, adherence, and efficacy of chronic disease treatments.
What obstacles remain that are preventing faster uptake of disruptive technologies?
In late October, we launched the Digital Therapeutics Alliance to bring together key industry players dedicated to improving healthcare quality, outcomes, and value through optimising the use and integration of DTx solutions. This is a rapidly-evolving environment and it is important that we work with regulators, patient advocacy groups, providers, payers, and manufacturers to establish foundational industry frameworks and standards.
Through our work, we will address the integration of DTx solutions into existing healthcare clinical decision support frameworks and provider workflows (including EMRs), in addition to identifying pathways to coverage and reimbursement, assessing the value and impact of DTx solutions in clinical practice, and encouraging data-driven integration and utilisation of DTx solutions across the healthcare industry.
Where has technology made the biggest impact in healthcare to-date?
While technology has changed hospital and administrative workflows, it has also changed the way people access information regarding their healthcare. Healthcare has often been one-sided, with patients playing a submissive role in their care. However, with the advent of patient-facing technologies and tools, peoples’ view on their disease, and their ability to manage it, has changed. Technology is being used to empower patients – and that is an advancement for which we should all cheer.
Regarding your own background, where do digital therapeutics fit into healthcare and how can they improve it?
DTx acts as a facilitator in healthcare, improving communications in the patient-provider relationship. For every patient, we try to find the right balance between autonomy (the patient being empowered by the solution to self-manage his or her condition) and reassurance (the patient being followed and supported by the remote monitoring of his or her care team).
In Voluntis’ case, digital therapeutics are created as a medication companion. Our vision is that digital companions are prescribed with treatment to provide the guidelines that support optimal adherence or dosage and, ultimately, improve the real-world value of the treatment. We work hard to make a positive impact for patients and providers every day, with a specific focus today on helping diabetes patients better manage their insulin therapy, and cancer patients better manage the symptoms associated with their treatments.
In addition to the clinical benefit they bring to patients and healthcare professionals, we believe these new solutions will contribute to advancing value-based care, as we now have better ways to capture patient-level data in real-time. This data can be leveraged to assess patients’ responses to their treatment in a quick and effective way. Outcomes-based payment models are bound to spread for various kinds of healthcare products and services, and DTx will contribute to enabling these new reimbursement models which are aligning among healthcare stakeholders, and increasingly important, considering the rising economic challenges faced by healthcare systems.
What do you think are the most promising technologies in the improvement of healthcare?
Digital therapeutic treatments, of course!
Frontiers Health will take place in Berlin, Germany on 16-17 November 2017. Pierre Leurent will be delivering a keynote presentation and moderating a panel discussion on day two of the event. To find out more, click here.
Read previous interviews in the series:
7 questions: Menarini Group’s Francesco Acanfora
In the third in his series of articles with speakers from this year’s Frontiers Health conference in Berlin, Marco Ricci speaks to corporate director of Demand Management & Digital Innovation at Menarini Group, Francesco Acanfora.
Francesco Acanfora
Where do you think technology is likely to make the biggest change to pharma?
There are several areas where, nowadays, technology is changing the way the industry usually operates, from R&D to manufacturing, from regulatory studies to marketing activities, and even to additional services provided to complement therapies. Clearly, all of these areas are vital to ‘survive’ in the actual market context, but if I were to choose three of these areas where most benefit has been seen, I’d say R&D (including new digital services), manufacturing and marketing activities.
How do you think technology will affect pharma’s relationship with patients?
Technology will permit people to not only care about their medical conditions, but also to take care of their well-being anytime, anywhere and in a non-invasive way, almost like having a ‘silent butler’. In that sense, people will have access to overall solutions for their conditions and not just their pills – something which will clearly change the way pharma will listen, communicate with, and develop medicines or devices for patients.
What areas of pharma/healthcare are in need of digital disruption?
Although technology has already had a major impact on some areas, I see a persistent gap in the adoption of technology in clinical trials. Because of the extremely high levels of resources needed to proceed along the R&D and approval phases, massive use of new technologies to administer the related tasks may help in reducing costs and time, helping patients get quicker access to new medicines on the market.
What obstacles remain that are preventing faster uptake of disruptive technologies?
The market continuously evolves and the legislation tries to catch it up. Historically, pharma companies have their own timescales, with some being quick adopters of disruptive technologies, and some not. One of the biggest obstacles is the way in which they deal with these changes. Lack of information about these new technologies at different levels, marketing or regulatory or sales, for example, there can be a very long time to market, slowing the availability of innovations in the market.
Where has technology made the biggest impact in pharma/healthcare to date?
Today there is a new mindset among pharma companies to proactively listen to people looking for a medication and to make a medical suggestion. Technologies and digital solutions like wearables, online services, and diagnosis support programmes have transformed these opportunities by dramatically increasing access to these people.
How is Menarini using technology to improve healthcare?
We are using technology in two facets of our activities: technology as an enabler to enhance and optimise the funnel for the research and production of new drugs, and on the other side as leverage to improve services for our stakeholders.
Which technologies do you think have the most potential for improving healthcare?
My vision of the future is of an all-inclusive ‘technology cloud’, which will surround and take care of us all in the near future, combining data from wearables and advanced health-check devices with domestic instruments like smart-home gadgets and furniture. I also see augmented reality making a huge difference in medical training and manufacturing operations, while cognitive computers will revolutionise digital diagnosis support programmes and global supply chain operations.
Frontiers Health will take place in Berlin, Germany on 16-17 November 2017. Francesco Acanfora will be delivering a keynote presentation on day one of the event. To find out more, click here.
Read previous interviews in the series:
7 questions: Bayer’s Eugene Borukhovich
In the second of his series of articles with speakers at the upcoming Frontiers Health conference in Berlin, Marco Ricci speaks to global head of Digital Innovation at Bayer, Eugene Borukhovich.
Eugene Borukhovich
Where do you think technology is likely to make the biggest change to pharma?
I think it already is. New and novel ways of identifying new molecules or therapies, improving clinical trials, and how we communicate with our customers are just some small examples of a revolution that is taking over the industry.
What role will pharma play in the adoption of technologies in healthcare?
I think that the complexity and inefficiency of the health and care ecosystem means a lot of healthcare professionals are already adopting technologies. But, at the same time, while the world is focusing on new and shiny disruptive technologies, we sometimes forget about the customer experience. If we start with the healthcare consumer in mind, the gaps in their experience, how it can be improved, and what the key problem statements are, only then will we be able to see how and which technologies are here to enable a transformation.
What areas of pharma/healthcare are in need of digital disruption?
From my perspective, I think that every single part of ‘the system’ is ripe for disruption, from improving clinical trial design to assisted living arrangements for the elderly.
A lot of investors know this too. Coupled with the amount of healthcare spending worldwide – which is simply unsustainable – investors are seeing digital technologies as the solution. Hence the huge amount of venture money pouring into digital health start-ups.
What obstacles remain that are preventing faster uptake of disruptive technologies?
To me, a big obstacle is behaviour change and change management within companies. Many healthcare organisations are still home to outdated or guarded perspectives of the advantages that digital technologies can bring. Simply put, while everyone loves to innovate, most people don’t like change. As an industry, we need to proactively drive more open-mindedness with respect to digital, both in our own companies and among our customers.
Where has technology made the biggest impact in pharma/healthcare to date?
The ‘dot com’ era brought with it unprecedented access to patients and patient communities and in turn the valuable data they harboured. That access has not left, but has evolved into what we have now, which is a more real-time view of patient community values.
Telemedicine has also had a huge influence on rural and remote patient monitoring and engagement, helping industry work around tightening regulations and reimbursement needs.
How is Bayer using technology to improve healthcare?
As the whole industry is still trying to figure out new business models, Bayer has been focused on helping our business do things better. The team has been a solid bridge between the ecosystem innovators and a large organisation like our own. You will see examples of that in my presentation and the G4A start-ups at this year’s Frontiers Health!
Which technologies do you think have the most potential for improving healthcare?
The approach is less about technologies and more about what the big questions are that we need to answer. That said, one of the most promising technologies is artificial intelligence (AI). While the term was coined in 1956, the field has seen huge advances in underlying technologies, like natural language processing, over the years, particularly in the last decade or so. Taking natural language processing as an example, just look at the amount of valuable text that practitioners write and the structured data held in Electronic Medical Records that can now be processed by AI programmes. This kind of technology could help the industry dramatically.
Frontiers Health will take place in Berlin, Germany on 16-17 November 2017. Eugene Borukhovich will be delivering a keynote presentation on day one of the event. To find out more, click here.
Read previous interviews in the series:
7 questions: Hikma Ventures’ Lana Ghanem
Preceding the healthcare innovation conference Frontiers Health, in November, Marco Ricci has been interviewing speakers for the event. First in his series is venture capitalists Hikma Ventures’ managing director, Lana Ghanem.
Lana Ghanem
Where do you think technology is likely to make the biggest change to pharma?
I think technology’s biggest influence will be felt in both disease prevention and personalised medicine.
As genomics and diagnostic tests advance and are increasingly adopted, pharma will be able to focus on tools and products that empower patients and help them prevent certain diseases by incorporating their unique genetic makeup and lifestyle. Solutions will no longer be one-size-fits-all; they will become more catered to the individual and reap better and more effective results for the patient.
In addition, these solutions will produce more user-friendly and convenient ways for patients to avoid developing certain conditions, while treatments will be more effective should they arise.
What role will pharma play in the adoption of technologies in healthcare?
I believe that technology and digital tools in healthcare are no longer a nice-to-have – they are becoming more of a necessity for all healthcare stakeholders. Pharma’s role will be key in the adoption of emerging technologies as they are connected to all major healthcare stakeholders, from patients and providers to payers and distributors. Acting as mediators, pharma companies can facilitate digital tools’ integration into daily life by incentivising their use by all participants of this system.
What areas of pharma/healthcare are in need of digital disruption?
The supply chain is a major area in need of digital disruption. Many inefficiencies exist when it comes to forecasting product demand and inventory management. Having the ‘right’ amount of materials to manufacture the ‘right’ products in the ‘right’ quantities is both a challenging and imperative part of the pharma manufacturing process. Predictive data analytics will play a big part in this disruption, as it tackles all three pillars of this problem. Block chain technology could also provide structured, transparent and traceable databases to improve inventory management.
Another area is Sales and Marketing. Pharma companies spend excessive money and time detailing doctors and launching marketing campaigns. Using digital tools to reach providers is more efficient at both ends, as it enables pharma companies to get their messages across to doctors via the click of a button, allowing doctors to have more time with patients. Regions in particular need of disruption are the Middle East and North Africa.
Lastly, R&D. R&D is a sizeable portion of overall costs for any company but by using machine learning and enhancing clinical trial processes, digital tools can help pharma companies develop, recruit patients, and test and approve new drugs or devices in shorter timeframes for less.
What obstacles are preventing faster uptake of disruptive technologies?
Gathering of data remains an obstacle. The more people who contribute data, the more powerful the results, but it can be challenging to both acquire and keep users engaged in an application, platform or gadget. All stakeholders require a more open mindset and must be willing to provide this data for this to work, which remains problematic as privacy concerns continue to emerge.
In addition, patients value convenience so self-reporting tools may limit the accuracy and collection of data. Some technologies have not gained traction because of that self-reporting characteristic, whether through patient laziness, forgetfulness or inaccurate input of data.
Another obstacle is the lack of clarity in the eyes of regulators. Because these disruptive technologies are new and uncharted territories, there are no set transparent guidelines enabling their expedited launch.
Where has technology made the biggest impact in pharma/healthcare to date?
Mobile phones and wearables are beginning to revolutionise the pharma/healthcare industry. By helping to track vitals like medication adherence, heart rate, sleep and temperature, they are very useful for consumers and clinical trials – particularly as the data collected is in real time and actionable. They also help companies reach more people and geographies.
How is Hikma Ventures using technology to improve healthcare?
Hikma Ventures (HV) invests in global digital health companies that can supplement our own business lines and differentiate Hikma’s offering. We have invested in four companies so far, including ones in the medication adherence space and telemedicine.
In 2016, we established the Innovation and Leadership Advisory Board (ILAB), comprised of 16 members from different departments and different regions across Hikma, to make sure the company is improving processes and fostering innovation.
ILAB launched ITECH, which features digital health start-ups, at Hikma, where entrepreneurs come for an hour to present their work to Hikma’s employees. The process is open to all 8,000 employees and is live-streamed on our Facebook page. This initiative helps to change the mindsets of employees to think of Hikma as a healthcare solution provider and not just a generic manufacturer.
Which technologies have the most potential for improving healthcare?
Big data analytics platforms that incorporate AI have enormous potential. The insights they provide affect all healthcare stakeholders: they enable payers to reduce their costs, providers to better monitor and diagnose patients, pharmaceutical companies to allocate their budgets more efficiently, and patients to be better informed about their health and avoid developing certain diseases.
Combining data analytics with Electronic Health Records (EHR) will unlock invaluable information about a patient’s medical history and behaviour, improving outcomes by better catering to individual needs. This will allow providers to better diagnose diseases and reduce errors.
Other areas with high potential are adherence to medication and continuous monitoring of vitals, which will also improve healthcare, as they will reduce the readmission rate into hospitals and provide patients with actionable, timely data that will empower them.
Frontiers Health will take place in Berlin, Germany, on 16-17 November 2017. Lana Ghanem will be delivering a keynote presentation on day one of the event. To find out more, click here.