Page 12 - Pharma Darpan August 2021 Anniversary Issue

EXPERT REVIEW Volume -II Issue -1 August-2021

Artificial intelligence (AI): AI is a term that is becoming increasingly popular across all industries. It’s essentially the use of computer
systems to perform tasks that would otherwise require human intelligence. This includes tasks like decision-making, speech recognition,
and visual perception. It also enables the translation of information between different languages. The use of AI in the pharmaceutical
industry has different roles expected to expand, such as accelerating drug discovery and development. Some of the areas that will benefit
from AI include clinical trials, fraud detection, and the overall improvement of medications. AI recognized utility across functions ranging
from earlier diagnosis of disease to process automation in areas such as patient screening and records management. In healthcare, AI
now helps in the diagnosis, designing of the treatment plan, robot-assisted surgery and numerous other medical purposes. Identification of
suitable drugs- at a reduced cost and in record time- is one of many advantages that AI has brought in the field of healthcare. The use of
artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning is accelerating the drug discovery and development processes. Startups are exploring the
use of these technologies to address the various challenges in the pharma industry, such as automation and optimization of the
manufacturing processes, as well as designing effective marketing and post-launch strategies. Patient identification is a crucial step in the
drug discovery and development process, especially for conducting clinical trials. AI simplifies the identification of eligibility criteria and the
inclusion of patients and also makes the cohort identification process faster and cheaper. Implementing artificial intelligence in pharmacy
will boost research and development, save valuable time and resources, and provide cost-friendly medications to patients in need. AI is
designed to process information more efficiently, maintain detailed and accurate records, and maintain transparency, the use of AI is
utmost important within pharmacy.
Blockchain: The primary purpose of blockchain technology is to simplify the way transactions and optimize security and transparency.
When used by pharmaceutical companies, blockchain technology can help with boosting efficiency by streamlining processes. This
applies to transactions that involve healthcare clinics, hospitals, regulators, and other stakeholders. It can also maximize the outcomes of
research and development. Blockchain technology is very significant for the pharmaceutical industry in every stage of the production and
distribution of drugs. The stakeholders in the pharma industry are, in general, extremely secretive about their data due to the sensitive
nature of the data. Blockchain technology is also being explored to tackle the use of counterfeit medicines and substandard drugs that
enter into the pharmaceutical supply chain and kill thousands of patients every year. The digitalization of transactions makes blockchain a
promising solution for tracking and securing the pharma transaction ecosystem.
In silico trials In silico trials are experiments conducted by means of a computer simulation. By running drug trials on computer
simulations of organs, this technology can completely bypass in vivo clinical testing. Besides the obvious time and cost effectiveness, in
silico trials completely circumvent animal testing and side effects on human and animal participants. In addition to the time and cost-
effectiveness, these trials will eliminate the need to conduct animal testing (including side effects) on humans and other beings. Through
computer simulation, it is observed whether the medicine is producing intended results, without any side-effects or not. While the real
clinical trials do not suggest improvement once the product is proved to be ineffective or risky, in silico clinical trials enable the experts to
know about possible modifications or alterations that can provide solutions to the distinct problems.
Gaining proficiency in complex Generics :Gaining proficiency in complex Generics such as Complex injectables formulations
(liposomal, microsphere based depot formulations etc.), inhalation drugs, topical products and transdermal. Each complex generic is
“complex” in its own way. Some of them present significant challenges in establishing pharmaceutical equivalence due to problems related
to physiochemical characterization , Bioequivalence tests and, for some, a simple bioequivalence study is not enough to establish that
there are patent challenges, citizen petitions, very high development cost, review cycle by regulatory are different , there are such many
challenges faced while developing complex generic product.
Pharma Supply chain automation: COVID-19 pandemic has shed a serious light on the need for quicker and more efficient supply of
medication, oxygen supply, and vaccines. Hence, the most obvious solution to this issue is automation. The implementation of automation
in the pharmaceutical industry’s supply chain will help cost-efficient, glitch-free, flexible, and streamlined supply of life-saving medication
and medical supplies Currently there are over a million pharmacists in India with around 55% of them in community, 20% in
hospital, 10 % in industry & regulatory and 2 % in academia in India, India is embracing many important initiatives such as Make in
India and Startup India etc. As the pharma industry continues to evolve, pharmacy education in the country will have to transform itself to
help Indian Pharma industry. Pharmacy education has a major role to play in the progress of the pharma sector. To meet Industry
expectations right courses need to be implemented in academics. Academic staff need to be trained in accordance with Industrial needs.
Industrial guides, Industrial visits, seminars on Industrial practices will help pharmacy students to a line as per current and future Industrial
requirements. With newer technologies and changing regulatory scenario, change in pharmacy education is must. The knowledge and
guidance of QBD, patent search, IVIVC, pellet manufacturing, Bioavailability, Bio-equivalency testing, dossier preparation, filing etc. need
to be given to pharmacy students which will assist them to move into pharmacy profession. The theoretical education and its application
should be bridged. This can be achieved only if industry and academia come on a single platform for a better tomorrow.

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