Article

Insights from Pharma 2025: Driving commercial success in pharma: The Role of patient journey acceleration and digital innovation

At the Pharma 2025 conference in Barcelona, global industry leaders, innovators, and changemakers gathered to explore the evolving landscape of pharmaceuticals and healthcare. Through a series of in-depth interviews with experts from across the sector, Cencora uncovered valuable perspectives on the challenges and opportunities shaping the future, from accelerating access to innovation and enhancing patient-centricity, to harnessing the power of data and digital transformation.

These conversations reflect the pulse of an industry in motion, committed to driving smarter, more sustainable healthcare solutions in an increasingly complex world. Whether focused on regulatory evolution, market access, technological breakthroughs, or cross-sector collaboration, each expert offered a unique lens on how pharma is adapting to meet the needs of tomorrow.

Commercial Innovation Leader, Matic Meglic, joined Herbert Altmann, Vice President, Market Access and Healthcare Consulting Europe at Cencora, to discuss the critical intersection of patient-centricity and commercial success within the pharmaceutical landscape.

Understanding patient journey acceleration

Meglic started the discussion by highlighting the importance of patient journey acceleration as a key driver of commercial success in the pharmaceutical industry. “One of the most interesting topics is still patient journey acceleration,” he noted, emphasizing the need for timely diagnosis and swift movement to appropriate therapies, particularly for novel treatments targeting specific patient populations. He added, “The importance of finding the right patients, getting them diagnosed quickly and then moving them to the right therapy faster is still a massive opportunity.”

A holistic approach to patient journeys

Meglic stressed the necessity for the pharmaceutical industry to adopt a holistic view of the patient journey, moving beyond mere product-centric thinking. “We need to take a step back and say, what is a patient's journey in general with this disease?” This approach allows for more meaningful collaboration with healthcare providers and systems, ultimately benefiting all stakeholders involved. Altmann echoed this sentiment, stating, “Understanding the patient’s entire experience is essential to developing effective solutions that truly meet their needs.”

The Role of artificial intelligence (AI)

The conversation turned to the role of AI in accelerating patient journeys. The experts explained that while there is considerable hype surrounding AI, specific use cases demonstrate its potential. For instance, by utilizing machine learning algorithms, the industry can identify patients who may be at risk for certain diseases even before formal diagnosis. This predictive capability can lead to earlier interventions, which is particularly beneficial in cases of diseases like ankylosing spondylitis, where delayed diagnosis is common.

Connecting healthcare stakeholders

Meglic emphasized that leveraging data effectively requires collaboration among all healthcare stakeholders. He highlighted the importance of connecting patient registries across countries, especially for rare diseases. “If you've got a rare disease with five patients in a small country, there’s not much you can do,” he said, noting the value of pooling data across borders to create a more comprehensive understanding of patient populations. Altmann added, “All the healthcare system stakeholders have to be connected.”

Navigating the European Health Data Space (EHDS)

The conversation also touched upon the EHDS and its potential to harmonize data sharing across the continent. Meglic expressed optimism about the EHDS's design but acknowledged the challenges in its implementation. He noted, “There’s still a lot of fuzziness around it, and there are still a lot of questions that remain to be answered.” Ensuring effective governance and addressing data privacy concerns will be critical for the success of this initiative. Altmann remarked, “Many in the industry are looking forward to the EHDS to streamline data access, but it’s crucial we address the governance issues early on.”

Empowering patients and addressing challenges

The discussion addressed the complexities of empowering patients to share their data. While the EHDS aims to give patients ownership of their data, Meglic pointed out that not all individuals have the same ability or willingness to empower themselves. He cautioned that opting out of data sharing could limit access to valuable tools and services that could enhance their health outcomes.

Challenges of implementation

Meglic highlighted the challenges associated with implementing AI systems and digital innovations in healthcare. He noted that while technology is advancing rapidly, understanding how to effectively integrate these tools into existing systems is paramount. Altmann added, “The critical question that we're all asking is how are we going to implement that transformational change from an organizational perspective.”

Building trust in AI solutions

Trust emerged as a pivotal theme in the conversation. Meglic acknowledged the importance of trust in AI tools, especially when considering biases in the data used to train these systems. He shared an insightful perspective on the varying expectations of trust across different healthcare contexts, emphasizing that in underprivileged settings, even a slightly less accurate AI tool could provide immense benefits. “Is it really important that it does its work at 100% or is it enough if it does it at 99.5%?” he asked, highlighting the need for a balanced view of trust in AI applications.

Watch the full conversation

The exchange between Meglic and Altmann underscored the exciting potential of digital innovation and AI in shaping the future of healthcare. As the pharmaceutical industry navigates the complexities of patient journey acceleration and embraces new technologies, collaboration among stakeholders will be essential.

Cencora is committed to connecting with leaders in the pharmaceutical industry to drive meaningful change and enhance patient outcomes. Watch the full discussion to gain deeper insights into integrating digital innovation and patient-centric strategies in the pharmaceutical landscape.

Watch now

The contents of this piece contain marketing statements and do not include legal advice.

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