Case Study: A Look at How Artificial Intelligence Is Being Used by the Pharma Industry in Supply Chains and Sales & Marketing

AI is seen as the most disruptive future technology in pharma and has the potential to transform many different sectors of the pharma. AI has the potential to revolutionize pharma supply chains, leading to reduced costs and increased efficiencies. In an increasingly competitive landscape, pharma companies must move away from generic marketing and pivot to personalized messaging tailored to individual healthcare professionals (HCPs) and patients. Machine learning (ML) algorithms are helping pharma companies segment customers to create personalized marketing campaigns, while AI chatbots are used to drive patient engagement. Examples of pharma chatbots include Novartis’ Alia, Sanofi’s Nina, Boehringer Ingelheim’s Tabatha, and Novo Nordisk’s Sophia.

Important highpoints of how artificial intelligence is being used by the pharma industry in supply chains and sales & marketing:

• Symbolic learning means you teach a machine symbols that humans can understand, such as things, people, and actions

• The data-based approach, known as machine learning (ML), involves giving a lot of data to a program. The program then decides by itself what is essential for making a decision and what is not

• Within the AI industry, seven key technology categories have been identified: ML, data science, conversational platforms, computer vision, AI chips, smart robots, and contextaware computing

• More companies are using AI across different business functions, such as R&D, manufacturing, and commercials

Examples of Leaders in AI Across the Pharmaceutical Industry

Recognized pharma leaders in AI include GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Novartis. GSK has been one of the most active in this space, and set up its first in-house lab in 2017. Novartis has also made some significant moves in the AI space in recent years. There are also several tech giants that offer AI services across the pharma industry, including IBM, Amazon, Microsoft, and Nvidia. There has been an explosion of pharma-specific AI start-ups in recent years, including Exscientia, Atomwise, Recursion, Iktos, and Insilico.

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