The COVID-19 pandemic bolstered innovation and change in the pharma and life sciences sectors. The rapid pace at which the vaccines were developed paved the way for other therapeutics to emerge out of the red tape in pharma. This also led to discoveries that spurred new treatment approaches and models.
2022 is going to be a crucial year for pharma professionals. With the world slowly coming out of the pandemic, we will see new trends take shape, which premier healthcare events, such as the Health 2.0 Conference, will spotlight through their keynotes, panel discussions, and fireside chats. Here is a quick glimpse at the top pharma predictions for 2022:
Clinical trials will be accelerated
If anything, the pandemic emphasized the importance of enhancing clinical trial processes and removing bureaucratic obstacles that slow down the development of life-saving drugs and vaccines. In addition to this, we will also be witnessing the rapid implementation of AI-enabled tools to streamline participant screening for trials as well as for better accuracy during the drug development process.
Radiomics will be adopted in the drug development phase
As highlighted at several post COVID healthcare events, precision imaging analytics tools, also called radiomics, will be embraced by major pharmaceutical companies. These will become a part and parcel of drug development, thus helping researchers in ascertaining the efficacy of new medications in tackling a specific disease.
Interest in “beyond-the-pill” treatment approaches
With health and wellness becoming top priorities for people around the world, we have seen a spike of interest in wearables, digital pills, and even gamification for disease prevention and treatment. To give an example, VR has proven to be a promising weapon to distract someone facing chronic pain. At the same time, personalization of treatments will be preferred and companies will receive greater impetus for coming up with digitally-driven treatment solutions.
Greater use of natural language processing tools
More and more major pharma companies will tap into the potential of NLP in 2022 to garner valuable insights from unstructured pieces of information. For instance, it can be used to source new doctors who can be invited for objective studies as well as patients who fit the role of the ideal clinical trial participant. But that’s not all. NLP tools will also be harnessed to ensure compliance as well as to use existing data sets to guide drug discovery and development.
Conclusion
In 2022, we will see significant changes across all areas of innovation in pharma - from clinical trials, discovery, development to treatment approaches. While the COVID-19 didn’t lead to a pharma revolution, it definitely accelerated projected trends and spurred a sense of urgency in healthcare and pharma professionals, making the entire landscape conducive to change and digital transformation.
For a more wide-ranging view of what awaits pharma leaders in 2022, do mark your calendars for the Health 2.0 Conference, which is scheduled to take place in Las Vegas and Dubai! Connect with veterans of the industry and know how you can equip yourself and your organization to help solve the healthcare challenges of tomorrow.
