Strategic Tech Implementation For Recognizing Drug Reactions

Rejith P R, Correspondent, India Pharma Outlook | Saturday, 02 December 2023

 Rejith P R, Correspondent, India Pharma Outlook

The pharmacovigilance market is projected to grow from USD 6.87 billion in 2023 to USD 23.31 billion in 2033 at a CAGR of 13%. The primary reason for this growth is the high occurrence of adverse drug reactions, safety concerns, and the increasing demand for medication by patients. These factors have contributed significantly to the development of the pharmacovigilance market. In this rapidly evolving healthcare landscape, identifying the root cause of potential drug reactions and implementing robust technology is crucial. IBM Watson Health, currently known as Merative L.P, is a highly regarded entity with exceptional technical capabilities. It has successfully integrated various medical data sources to identify patterns and harmful drug reactions, leading to improved pharmacovigilance efforts.

Wearable Technology and Real-Time Monitoring

Wearable technology is vital in monitoring physiological parameters and providing continuous medical data about a person's health condition. As the healthcare industry evolves, companies should understand the significance of integrating wearable devices into their adverse drug reaction monitoring process, which will help detect any physiological changes quickly that may indicate a reaction to medication. The monitoring process has to be continuously performed for task levels, metrics, and vital signs through wearables to deliver an active approach to identifying the drug reaction.   

Roche Holding AG, a Swiss-based healthcare company, has been involved in several digital initiatives that have leveraged wearable technology and monitoring to take patient health data. The data collection has contributed to the quick detection of adverse drugs and helped in assessing the safety profile of drugs.

Artificial Intelligence in Signal Detection

AI technology has become renowned in the healthcare industry and is proving to be a valuable tool in pharmacovigilance, particularly in signal detection. Machine learning is also being utilized to analyze several data sources such as EHR, literature, and social media, to identify essential indicators of adverse drug reactions. Moreover, Natural Language Processing algorithms can analyze unstructured healthcare data, providing valuable insights into patient narratives and reports. AI-powered signal detection improves ADR detection's efficiency and accuracy.

Novartis, a pharmaceutical company, has been a leader in integrating technology into their pharmacovigilance activities. They employ AI technology and data analytics to observe and analyze adverse drug reactions. Additionally, they concentrate on real-world data and utilize the most up-to-date analytics to identify potential safety concerns in the drug-related process.

Electronic Health Records

The medical industry considers Electronic Health Records (EHRs) vital patient information, collecting complete data on records, medications, diagnoses, and outcomes. Thoroughly examining the EHR enables medical experts to identify connections and patterns between drug exposure and harmful events. More importantly, the upgraded analytics on a ranging EHR database makes the process seamless in detecting adverse drug reactions in contrast with the patients' profiles and results across large populations.

Cleveland Clinic has excelled in embracing EHR technology to enhance patient outcomes, and its system plays a significant role in medication management; it also has an additional feature, the latest medical decision tools that assess patients' data to explore if any harmful drug reaction occurs. Even their real-time alerts of EHR could warn medical professionals of drug reactions, enabling quick interventions and changes in treatment plans.

Big Data and Machine Learning

The healthcare landscape is evolving, and firms have started leveraging cutting-edge technologies to identify the adverse potential drugs. Using big data and machine learning is the paradigm shifter in detecting the abnormalities. Nowadays, the data generated by the firms are myriad in the form of clinical information, patient data, electronic health records and many others. Machine learning technology can carefully assess these data to find the correlations and patterns that help the medical expert make the appropriate decision and advance with timely medication and effective treatments.

For instance, Pfizer has leveraged machine learning technologies to improve drug safety and explore harmful reactions. Moreover, their healthcare initiatives involve examining datasets, which include patient data and evidence, to learn more about the safety profiles of their medications.

Dr. TG Chandrashekar, Executive Director at Kusum Group of Companies said that "Technology puts the pharmaceutical industry in a strong position of offering improved healthcare by enhancing competitiveness and improving patient compliance by a huge margin"

All in all, advanced technologies play a significant role in bridging the gap between healthcare providers and patients when it comes to identifying harmful drugs. By detecting abnormalities at an early stage, medical professionals can promptly cater to the needs of the patients, ensuring that they maintain good health and stay in good shape. As the technologies continue to evolve, the combination of pharmacovigilance and innovation keeps the promise of lowering the issues of drug reactions and thereby enhancing the overall quality of patient care. 

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