Digital solutions: Bridging pharma gaps to deliver real impact for patients and clinicians

Medical & Science: In today’s era of rapid technological advancements, the integration of digital solutions in healthcare offers both transformative opportunities and significant challenges.

A recent panel at the Medical Affairs Professionals of Australasia (MAPA) Conference explored these dynamics, focusing on how digital solutions can enhance patient and healthcare professional (HCP) engagement, and the essential role medical affairs professionals play in this evolving landscape.

Chaired by Dr Amit Lalwani, Executive Committee Member of MAPA, the panel included insights from Dr Densearn Seo, a medical practitioner and CEO and Co-Founder of Gravida Health; Menaka De Alwis, Director of Data, Digital & IT at Novartis ANZ; and Sophie Seck, Senior Manager of Ethics & Compliance at Medicines Australia.

De Alwis highlighted a recurring issue: the disconnect between medical affairs and commercial strategies, saying “We have so many digital solutions – online portals, virtual meetings, podcasts, social media campaigns, chatbots. But where we fall short is the tactics used to engage healthcare professionals.

“Face-to-face remains one of the most powerful channels. Many companies force digital initiatives on employees to reach as many HCPs as possible, but sometimes, we need to step back and ask fundamental questions, like who owns the customer an what are we trying to achieve?”

De Alwis emphasised that pharmaceutical industry often approaches core planning in silos, underscoring the need for collaboration across both commercial and non-commercial functions.

He also noted the transformative impact of OpenAI in the last 1-2 years, pointing out that some pharmaceutical companies are exploring the integration of data sets from different parts of the business to facilitate real-time interactions with HCPs.

“Things are changing fast, and this presents both challenges and opportunities,” he remarked.

Dr Seo addressed the HCPs’ resistance to digital change. “Medicine, in general, is a very traditional field,” he explained. “Most clinicians are time-poor and aren’t keen on digital solutions. If not engaged properly, adoption falters.

“However, new age practitioners, like myself, encourage digital technologies and bridge the misinformation gap with the patients.”

He cited continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) as a valuable digital health solution, which streamlines clinical consultations and enables timely interventions.

De Alwis noted that despite successful promotion of pharma company HCP portals, clinicians often find them cumbersome. He has been working internally to convince Novartis to develop a streamlined, single-entry platform for all pharma portals, similar to Medicines Australia’s Medicines Access Portal.

“Globally, however, there was little appetite to deploy such an initiative from a commercial standpoint,” he admitted.

Seck remarked that such an endeavour would require significant “leadership and foresight,” while Dr Seo underscored the complexity of navigating proprietary data, and privacy and cybersecurity policies across multiple stakeholders.

Interestingly, De Alwis referenced global efforts by major tech companies such as Google, Amazon, and Apple who are “creating frictionless experiences for HCPs”, underscoring the need for visionary leadership in the healthcare sector to drive innovation.

Rozalina Sarkezians, Founder and Managing Director of Health Industry Hub, posed a crucial question in the absence of the consumer voice: “As we think about patient centric digital health engagement, we have heard the industry perspective and the HCP perspective. But, what do patients want?”

Seck responded, “Digital tools can empower patients to take charge of their health. By providing real-time data, patients can make informed decisions with their clinicians, rather than having decisions made for them.”

Dr Seo referred to the CGM example saying, “By providing real time monitoring, it empowers the patient to take accountability of their diabetes, blood glucose levels, diet, insulin regime and medicines.

“It provides a certain level of reassurance, and from my perspective, that is what patients want. It is a great tool for clinicians to also encourage adoption amongst fellow peers and patients that actually helps cater towards both the HCP and the patient.”

Seck flagged safety and regulatory concerns, particularly those leveraging generative AI.

“When developing digital solutions, think about the safety risks both to patients and the company. Also, remember the regulatory risks to company,” she said.

She emphasised the importance of cross-functional collaboration with commercial colleagues while establishing clear boundaries to avoid unintended product promotion, advocating for thoughtful planning throughout the solution’s lifecycle.

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