Next Gen Sequencing with the ability to quickly and cost effectively identify errant genes is an advancement towards curing certain disease indications, said Ram Yeleswarapu, president & chief executive officer, Take Solutions.

This along with SMAC (social, mobile, analytics and cloud) and Big Data are increasingly being adopted by Indian biopharmaceutical companies, albeit at a slower pace than the US and EU markets. The convergence of global regulators towards ensuring patient safety leveraging SMAC are increasingly delivering value, he added.

Although there is scepticism in the adoption of cloud computing by the lifesciences sector, we see mobile platforms and analytics along with social media usage are on the rise. It is inevitable to realize that SMAC will deliver optimized solutions and efficiencies for Indian pharma companies, especially where the vendors, suppliers, and trading partners across the globe are rapidly adopting such solutions, Yeleswarapu told Pharmabiz.

Internet of Things (IoT) is another emerging and promising technological trend in certain areas of healthcare. In combination with Social Media patient groups, IoT is beginning to play a role in reducing the complexity of gathering quality patient or volunteer data, especially during pivotal trials for non-critical diseases. The only caveats are high device costs and the need for a methodology for device reliability and calibration. IoT is definitely an area to be explored and the need of the hour is to understand devices and wearables, he noted.

There is a wealth of opportunity in lifesciences. Margin pressures due to huge investments as a consequence of enhanced regulations are forcing companies to become increasingly efficient and innovate at the same time. These pressures are also causing companies to move up the value chain towards biosimilars, finding cures for rare and ultra-rare diseases. Manufacturing compliance concerns and quality issues are causing companies to rethink on their manufacturing locations, said Yeleswarapu.

In the case of Take Solutions, its expertise is in the life sciences domain not only in drug development efforts, but also in post approval support.

Enhanced regulations that are driving adoption of technology solutions, cross border collaboration and leveraging SMAC and Big Data solutions for optimization and efficiency are some of the visible trends.

Globalization of clinical research and increased regulatory scrutiny is causing companies to closely examine their processes, governance, and change management procedures. “Our capabilities to perform gap analysis and provide a pathway to efficiency. Pharma companies need to realize the imperatives of the global regulators and align with market forces to remain competitive and be sustainable in the long run. We understands the life sciences space and are adequately poised to help biopharmaceutical companies as a trusted partner and adviser,” he pointed out.