ARCONDIS UPDATE No. 03|2017: The smarter solution

4_The smarter solution
conditions more specifically. This begins
early on in development, for example
when acquiring participants for studies.
Patients today can already be found much
more easily and directly for clinical studies
thanks to tailored platforms.
Cost Pressure: Regardless of the maturity
of the respective health care system, we
are now seeing a global increase in cost
assessment, taking into consideration
efficiency, but also recently user data.
Thanks to a personalized reimbursement
model, flexible pricing based on individual
patient data (indication, combination,
treatment response) is already a reality
today.
Fehlende digitale Expertise kann in die
Firma geholt werden
Durch erfahrene Berater wird von Best
Practices profitiert
Externe Kräfte bringen Agilität in oftmals
starre Prozesse
Nicht zuletzt baut die Zusammenarbeit mit
externer Experten zudem wesentlich die
Fähigkeiten der eigenen Mitarbeiter aus, den
Digitalisierungsprozess aktiv mitzugestalten.
Sonja Fix
English
E_Many companies in the life sciences
industry are currently transforming from
product manufacturers for large populations
to providers of customized solutions.
The main drivers of this are customers
and patients who are no longer
satisfied with standard products and
who expect specific solutions that are
tailored to their requirements.
By tracking their own health data, customers
are becoming more active and increasingly
aware of how they can actively manage their
health care. Where does this change come
from? These are the effects of the digital
transformation, which create new opportunities
for both patients and health care
providers. For the life sciences industry, this
means realigning its business models now.
Major factors driving this development are
the following:
Customers: Possible direct contact with
patients, their willingness to share their
data via wearables, smartphones, etc.,
results in an expectation that the life
sciences industry creates useful solutions
for healthier living. The willingness to play
a part is growing. For example,
ARCONDIS is supporting one of the
world’s largest pharmaceutical companies
that uses digital biomarkers in clinical
studies, which help to acquire and analyze
much higher volumes of data. This leads
to a lower error rate and higher quality
results and products.
Digitalization: Market digitalization is a
real driver of innovation, and is still far
from complete within companies. On the
contrary: The digitalization of workflows,
the application of innovations, and the
accompanying agile change management
are now reaching their peak.
Customization: Advancements in genome
analyses or 3D printing, for example, are
making customized materials, medical
devices and therapies even more effective.
After all, it has become easier to
address individual requirements and
The readiness of the industry to put current
business models to the test is growing,
according to Marco Rogg, ARCONDIS Senior
Manager and expert on digital transformation:
“Nowadays, managers know that
transformation also entails revolutionary or
even disruptive aspects and that action is
necessary. New players like the Google
subsidiary Calico are also entering the
market from the IT side and looking to
compete with traditional life sciences
companies.”
What are the consequences of all this? The
life sciences industry has always been an
early adopter of innovations, but in this case
the situation is especially complex, meaning
adaptation isn’t quite so simple. It requires a
combination of industry and process
know-how, compliance expertise, and
in-depth IT knowledge. This mix of competencies
is rare and in such demand that it is
frequently under-represented in companies.
The use of internal know-how carriers
combined with specialized external service
providers has proven to be quite valuable for
many life sciences companies:
Missing digital expertise can be brought
into the company
The company benefits from best practices,
thanks to experienced consultants
External forces bring flexibility to oftentimes
rigid processes
Not least, collaboration with external
experts also develops the capabilities of
internal employees in actively helping to
shape the digitalization process. Sonja Fix