ARCONDIS UPDATE No. 02|2018: The smarter solution

8_The smarter solution 9
Es braucht ein funktionierendes Eco-System
aus Life Sciences, Healthcare, Politik, Forschung
und Lehre, die eng zusammenarbeiten.
Dazu muss ein Portfolio an Digital Life
Sciences Initiativen ausgearbeitet werden,
welches über Innovationsprojekte angegangen
wird. Ziel muss es sein, innovative
Firmen, Start-ups und Konsortien zu fördern,
eine Plattform zu schaffen, die Innovationsträger
mit den richtigen Leuten in der
Wirtschaft schnell zusammenbringt und die
Einstiegshürden reduziert.
Ein einzelnes Unternehmen wird die digitale
Transformation eines Landes in der Branche
nicht vorantreiben können. Neben unseren
traditionellen Unternehmen, brauchen wir in
Zukunft dringend auch Firmen mit datengetriebenen
Geschäftsmodellen. Wir sollten
gerade diesen Bereich fördern und entwickeln,
um unseren Standort erfolgreich in die
Zukunft zu führen. Dazu gehört:
Schaffen einer Strategie „Digitale Transformation
in Life Sciences“ mit Key-Playern
Identifikation der notwendigen Schlüsselkompetenzen
für die digitale Transformation
Evaluation der heutigen Situation (SWOT)
Definition und Finanzierung eines Marktplatzes/einer
Plattform für Innovationsträger
und Industrie
Definition und Anstoss von Leuchtturm-
Projekten für alle Kompetenzbereiche
Stärkung der bereichsübergreifenden
Zusammenarbeit und Mobilisierung aller
Ressourcen
Förderung vom dualen Bildungssystem
für die Erarbeitung von neuen Berufsgruppen,
die der Markt in der Zukunft braucht
Vernetzung aller Interessensgruppen
Forderung und Schaffung eines regulatorischen
Umfelds, das die Innovationen
unterstützt – wie die Automobilindustrie
beim Thema autonomes Fahren beweist,
kann die Entwicklung die Gesetzgebung
formen
Schaffung eines gesetzlichen Rahmens
für den Austausch von anonymisierten
medizinischen Daten (zur Sicherheit für
alle Beteiligten und gegen Verunsicherung
der Patienten)
Die Thematik und das Potenzial in der
Life Sciences Branche wurde von einigen
Unternehmungen bereits erkannt. Aber es
sind noch zu wenige und es braucht einen
breiteren und vor allen Dingen gemeinsamen
Aufbruch, mindestens aber die
Förderung von innovativen Start-ups. Denn
es ist an der Zeit, mit den Vorreitern, wie
beispielsweise Apple, Google, Amazon oder
Microsoft, Schritt zu halten und die Möglichkeiten
der Digitalen Transformation im Blick
zu behalten. Das kann nicht Aufgabe nur
weniger grosser Hersteller sein, sondern
benötigt eine branchenweite Bewegung aus
möglichst vielen kleinen, mittelständischen
und grossen Unternehmen, um wieder an innovativere
Branchen aufzuschliessen. Schon
allein aus Eigennutz, um den Wettbewerbsvorsprung
auszubauen. Marco Rogg
Marco Rogg
Senior Manager,
ARCONDIS
English
E_A wave of digitalization has been
sweeping all industries. Media, banking,
insurance, telecommunications and
retail are pioneering this development.
Under the banner of “Industry 4.0,” the
digital structures are also taking over the
processing industry at a rapid pace, with
automotive clearly ahead of the game. An
idea that started with streaming services
for music has expanded to new payment
methods, new services and whole new
currencies. As a society, we have welcomed
the digital transformation into
our daily lives without much friction. But
what about the life sciences? The clocks
still seem to be ticking a bit too slow in
our industry.
Small startups are busy filling the gaps that
larger players are neglecting. The Baltimore
startup Insilico Medicine, for instance, is
utilizing artificial intelligence extremely
innovatively to develop new pharmaceuticals.
Google and Amazon, the de-facto
pioneers of digitalization, are well aware of
the immense opportunities offered by the
life sciences sector. They are pouring their
own strengths into the industry, and many of
their services are already causing a stir.
Why does our industry not live up to its full
potential, leaving the field to newcomers and
industry outsiders instead?
Why the sector is lacking
momentum
Not all companies are stuck in the past.
Campaigns by global leaders such as Roche
and Novartis are well underway. They focus
on personalized medicine, digital patient
engagement, studies on the efficacy of
pharmaceuticals, efficiency and many other
topics. Further, Novartis appointed a new
chief digital officer with a background in retail.
The company presumably hopes to gain
a new perspective and new expertise. This
highlights the future of the sector: we must
move towards our patients and facilitate
direct communication and contact.
But these players, too, face a major barrier.
The greatest challenge of our heavily
regulated environment is the acquisition of
sufficient data (after all, healthcare data are
highly sensitive) and establishment of necessary
standards and interfaces. To complicate
matters further, the healthcare and life
sciences industries are growing ever more
closely connected. This increases complexity
and, in turn, intensifies integration requirements,
regulatory hurdles and data protection
standards.
Modern consumers wish to stay informed
anywhere and at all times. Companies are
under increasing pressure to provide professional,
customized medical content and
personal health data. Estonia took concrete
steps in this direction a long time ago. Digital
patient files (using blockchain technologies!)
have become commonplace in the Baltic
state, while Switzerland has been trying and
failing to implement a similar system for
years.
But there is more behind the sluggishness
of the life sciences industry than just an
impenetrable jungle of regulations and
complexity. There is simply not enough
pressure to transform. Our business environment
remains largely positive even without
any significant effort to pursue the digital
transformation. Medical devices are one of
the world’s major growth markets. This has
given rise to complacency: considerably
fewer than half of companies believe that
digitalization affects them at all.
The collaboration between research, education,
politics and the life sciences industry
also has potential for development. In Switzerland,
the federal government promotes
initiatives such as the “Swiss Personalized
Health Network” (SPHN) to advance digitalization.
These initiatives focus on healthcare,
however, which should come as no surprise:
the field is heavily regulated (resulting in
high barriers to entry) and partially stateowned.
Our industry needs to get involved.
It relies on the corresponding data for its
clinical research and development work.
To summarize: the race is underway, but not
many runners are joining in. Anyone who
wants to cross the finish line successfully
needs to get and stay involved. Waiting for
other players or politicians to join the race is
a waste of time.
Concrete steps to take
We have everything we need to keep our
successful industry on track for a bright
future: a leading position in the global life sciences
market, excellent universities and hospitals,
a reputation for being one of the most
innovative regions in the world, outstanding
research and development facilities, and a
globally renowned healthcare system. Let us
take full advantage of these valuable tools.
Our industry must not miss the transition to
the digitalized life sciences – it is too important
to the German-speaking countries.
It needs a functioning, collaborative ecosystem
that integrates the life sciences,
healthcare, politics, research and development.
These players must work together to
develop a portfolio of digital life sciences initiatives
that realize innovative projects. Our
digitalization project must achieve two specific,
crucial goals: it must support innovative
companies, startups and consortia. And it
must establish a platform that can connect
innovation leaders with the right contacts in
the business world and reduce the barriers
to entry that stand between these projects
and their success.
No single company can drive the digital
transformation of a whole national industry.
In addition to our traditional companies,
we will need data-driven businesses in
future. This is the field we must support and
develop if we want to take Switzer land’s life
sciences industry to the future. In concrete
terms, this means:
Creating a “Digital Transformation in the
Life Sciences” strategy involving key
players
Identifying the skills and capacities
required for implementing the digital
transformation in the life sciences
Evaluating the current situation (SWOT)
Defining and funding a marketplace / platform
for innovation leaders and industry
players
Defining and initiating flagship projects for
all relevant domains
Strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration
and mobilizing all available resources
Promoting the dual education system
to develop new professions that will be
needed on the market in future
Connecting all stakeholders
Petitioning for and creating a regulatory
environment that supports innovation –
the topic of autonomous driving in the
automotive industry has proven that
development can shape legislation
Creation of a legal framework for exchanging
anonymized medical data (for
the safety of all parties and to prevent
uncertainty among patients)
Some companies have already recognized
the potential of digitalization in the life
sciences industry. But they are still a small
minority. A broader, joint movement is
required. At the very least, we must support
and promote innovative startups. It is high
time we caught up with the pioneers of
digitalization – Apple, Google, Amazon,
Microsoft and the like – and focused on
the opportunities inherent to the digital
transformation. This task cannot be left to
a small number of large manufacturers. To
draw level with more innovative industries,
we will require an industry-wide movement
comprising as many small, medium-sized
and large companies as possible. After all,
we will also be serving our own self-interest
by expanding our competitive advantage.
Marco Rogg