Digital Transformation Program ~ It was the place to be

On Feb. 13, more than 80 local life sciences professionals gathered at the recent ISPE Boston event, Panel on Lessons & Opportunities in Digital Transformation, hosted by Tulip Interfaces, Inc. 

Five panelists, all industry veterans, shared their experiences navigating the aspiration towards Pharma 4.0. The discussion brought to light both success stories and challenges faced in this digital revolution, giving attendees a practical understanding of what is working and how to keep programs moving ahead.

The event moderator, Michelle Vuolo, Head of Quality, Tulip Interfaces kicked off the discussion with a question about what digital transformation meant to the panelists: 

• Dan Chapman, Product Management Leader, Merck
• Jordan Croteau, Sr. Director, Digital CMC – Architecture & Innovation, Moderna
• Chris Demers, Global Lead for Plant Data and Analytics, Catalent
• Mark Henson, Senior Scientific Fellow, Takeda

Everyone emphasized that digital transformation isn’t just a one-time initiative. The meaning is nuanced and is about continuous improvement, eliminating technical debt and maximizing the value of data. A few takeaways: 

1. A successful transformation needs alignment across the organization, starting small but thinking big. And it’s crucial to be laser focused on the impact you’re trying to achieve and being ready to pivot as external forces such as regulatory pressures, greater productivity needs and automation demands evolve. The key lies in ensuring that teams are focused on the right projects and that those projects are tied to solving tangible problems. 
2. Organizations need to rethink how they are structured, with more emphasis on embedding data scientists within the functions that need their services. This is a customer-centric way of thinking, with programmers and developers dedicating time to listen and understand the pain points in the production process, for example. 
3. Move beyond the theoretical and find the areas tools can be applied that will have significant impact on teams’ productivity. When asked about skillsets needed, the panelists cited that more critical thinking, agility and a willingness to learn new ways of doing things are crucial.

The panelists agreed AI will continue to be a powerful tool, but connecting data, making it visible and accessible is the first step – the importance of which is often overlooked. AI, especially generative AI, has created a fair amount of distraction, with budgets often mis-funneled away from AI and ML projects that would bring more value. One panelist mentioned that we are probably at the peak of the AI hype cycle and that funding directives will become more realistic soon.

The panelists were asked how they decide whether to build, buy or partner when it comes to digital technologies, and this topic generated tremendous discussion. Building one’s own digital toolkit can solve immediate problems and allows a company to manifest exactly what they need. However, in-house expertise does not always stay in-house, and the pain of trying to maintain these systems becomes costly and unrealistic. The general sentiment was summarized by one of the panelists: “Why would I build an app with 10 in-house developers when I could buy or partner with a company with hundreds of developers that will ensure quality in-line with regulatory standards? Why would I shoulder us with that responsibility?”

The future of pharmaceutical drug development and manufacturing is digital, and while the journey is far from simple, it cannot be put off any longer. 

We couldn’t agree more with Mark when he shared a sentiment that applies to digital transformation…. essentially “Scientists have to try new things and not everything will work, but what does will be beautiful.”