The winds of change are blowing in healthcare! Artificial Intelligence (AI) is poised to revolutionize how we deliver quality care to everyone. As a recent ET Healthworld article (March 3, 2024) aptly stated: “AI and technology are going to be transformative. The only way we can provide quality healthcare for the masses of the country will be through technology.” This isn’t just a future possibility, it’s a necessity with the potential to bridge the gap and ensure everyone has access to the care they deserve.

Accordingly, the leadership game in the healthcare industry is also changing. Purpose-driven leaders are harnessing the power of AI and etching their ambitious goals into company DNA. Take a recent  PharmaTimes  article (March 26, 2024) where an AstraZeneca heavyweight declared, “‘we have a bold ambition to eliminate cancer as a cause of death.’” This isn’t just about treatments anymore; it’s about… very close to curing cancer for good. This exemplifies the ‘audacious purpose’ driving their oncology leadership – a vision light years beyond mere effectiveness and safety.

Forget business as usual, healthcare is embracing a revolution! For years, experts have been preaching the gospel of Purpose-Driven Leadership (PDL), especially in healthcare. Now, thanks to visionary leaders in international and national organizations, PDL is taking off at warp speed. This article dives deep into this exciting new frontier, exploring how purpose is reshaping the healthcare landscape.

What it means:

In pharma, leading with purpose used to mean putting patients first, driving ethical innovation, and building trust. Now,the AI era supercharges this mission. This isn’t just about purpose anymore – it goes much beyond. It’s about unlocking a healthier future through transparency, collaboration, and the power of AI. 

This area is now rapidly evolving:

The leadership purpose of the healthcare business has undergone a significant shift over the years, moving from a primarily profit-driven model to one that emphasizes a broader set of goals. Thus, I believe, purpose-driven leadership (PDL) isn’t a fad of the day – it’s a global health revolution. And India’s pharmaceutical industry is no exception! While mirroring the global trend, India’s PDL journey has some unique twists. Buckle up, because we’re about to fast-forward through decades of change and explore the nuances that set India apart. As I envisage, PDL has been evolving in India, broadly following the steps as indicated below:

Early Years (Pre-1970s):

• Organizational Focus: Primarily generic drug production for domestic needs and exports.
• Leadership Purpose: Meeting basic healthcare needs and establishing India as a “pharmacy of the world.”
• Overall Impact: Made essential medicines affordable for many countries, but limited focus on R&D for innovative drugs.

From the beginning of the drug price control era (1970s-1990s):

• Organizational Focus: Balancing generic production with increasing government support for R&D – mainly reverse engineering, with an eye on process-patent.
• Leadership Purpose: Maintaining affordability of generics while fostering domestic innovation to fast replicate patented molecules of globally successful drugs.
• Overall Impact: India became a major player in generics, but original drug discovery lagged.

Patent Regime Shift (With Patent Amendment Act 1999, 2002, 2005):

• Organizational Focus: Expecting stricter intellectual property regime, increasing focus on branded drugs, especially by large domestic companies.
• Leadership Purpose: Balancing affordability with profitability and encouraging domestic innovation for new drugs.
• Overall Impact: Growth in Indian specialty and complex branded generics, including Biosimilar drugs, but concerns about rising drug prices for newer medications.

Current Era (2000s-Present):

• Organizational Focus: Balancing affordability with patient well-being, access to medications, and establishing a cost-effective and balanced pathway for product and process innovation.
• Leadership Purpose: Combining innovation with social responsibility and Patient-Centricity with an emphasis on affordability and public health initiatives.
• Overall Impact: Increased focus on R&D for new drugs, affordability programs, and public health partnerships. However, challenges remain in balancing affordability with R&D investment.

Nevertheless, the winds of change have started blowing within the Indian pharmaceutical leadership, as well. Their purpose is no longer singular – it’s a multifaceted dance balancing affordability, essential for a vast population, with the need for ground-breaking innovation to meet the unmet need. This tightrope walk defines India’s pharmaceutical future, ensuring both accessible medications and advancements in healthcare.

Examples of PBL initiatives by international and Indian companies:

It is worth noting, while some companies might announce major partnerships or product launches related to AI in the drug industry, the underlying development processes often take place over several years. However, we can explore the purpose these leaders likely aim to achieve based on examples ferreted from the public domain:

International:

• Pfizer & IBM Watson (Clinical Trial Matching Platform):

Purpose: Launched around 2016-2017, this initiative aimed to accelerate patient access to new treatments by streamlining clinical trial recruitment through AI-powered matching.

• Sanofi & Google DeepMind (Protein Folding Simulations):

Purpose: Partnership, which most likely began around 2019-2020. This collaboration focuses on using AI to revolutionize drug discovery by allowing for highly accurate and efficient design of new medications.

Indian: 

• Sun Pharma (AI-powered Chatbots):

Purpose: This initiative leverages AI to improve patient education and medication adherence, ultimately aiming to improve patient health outcomes.

• Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories (AI for Drug Discovery):

Purpose: Their use of AI focuses on identifying promising new drug targets through advanced data analysis, aiming to accelerate drug development for unmet medical needs.

The way forward for Indian drug industry leaders:

Indian pharmaceutical leadership can leverage AI to:

1. Innovate for patients: Develop targeted drugs and personalized treatments using AI-powered discovery and data analysis.
2. Expand access: Optimize supply chains and fight counterfeits with AI for affordability and patient safety.
3. Build trust: Use AI Chatbots for patient education and address concerns through social media analysis.
4. Be ethical: Prioritize data privacy and transparent AI for responsible use. Comply with the Uniform Code of Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP)
5. Collaborate for impact: Partner with AI experts and open-source initiatives to accelerate healthcare solutions for India.

This approach allows Indian pharmaceutical leadership to lead with purpose by putting patients first and leveraging AI for a healthier future.

The differences between the older and the AI Era:

The key differences between the old days and the AI era, in the steps Indian pharmaceutical leaders take towards leading with purpose, lie in the scale, speed, and precision achieved through AI:

Old Days:

• Limited data: decision-making relied on smaller datasets, leading to fewer targeted solutions.
• Manual processes: drug discovery, supply chain management, and patient education were labor-intensive and time-consuming.
• Reactive approach: identifying patient needs and concerns often happens after the fact.

AI Era:

• Massive data analysis: AI can analyze vast amounts of patient data, genomics, and healthcare information, leading to more precise drug targets, personalized treatments, and proactive solutions.
• Automation and optimization: AI automates tasks and optimizes processes, accelerating drug discovery, supply chain management, and patient communication.
• Predictive capabilities: AI can analyze data to predict patient needs and identify potential issues before they arise, allowing for a more proactive approach.

Essentially, AI empowers Indian pharmaceutical industry leaders to move beyond traditional methods and achieve their purpose goals with greater efficiency, precision, and impact.

Conclusion:

Now is the time to forget the old limitations! AI is a game-changer for the Indian pharmaceutical industry’s mission to improve healthcare for all fueled by PDL. Here’s how:

• From blind guesses to laser focus: AI analyzes mountains of data to pinpoint precise drug targets and personalize treatments, leaving limited information in the dust.
• Slowpoke to speed demon: AI automates tasks and streamlines processes, accelerating drug discovery and patient communication at warp speed.
• Playing catch-up to leading the charge: AI predicts patient needs and flags potential problems before they arise, enabling a proactive approach that revolutionizes healthcare.

This isn’t just leading with purpose anymore; it’s unleashing the power of purpose-driven healthcare solutions that will delight patients with their outcomes. Thus, I reckon, with AI, propelled by its leadership’s inclination and drive, Indian pharmaceutical companies can deliver better healthcare solutions faster and with a much greater impact.

By: Tapan J. Ray

Disclaimer: The views/opinions expressed in this article are entirely my own, written in my individual and personal capacity. I do not represent any other person or organization for this opinion.