The impact of artificial intelligence on all areas of our lives is enormous. One of the sectors that is evolving the most thanks to this network of disruptive technologies is health. Tools related to AI have accelerated all research processes linked to the evolution of medicines. Speeding up the identification of new molecules and optimising the design of clinical trials means that the traditional process in drug development is completely different, as explained in Farmaindustria.
Created in 1963, this national association brings together the majority of innovative pharmaceutical laboratories established in Spain, which represents practically all sales of prescription medicines under patent in Spanish territory. At Farmaindustria they are aware of the strategic role that AI plays in the healthcare field. For example, the use of artificial intelligence models allows the selection of genetic or marker patterns with which to identify groups of patients with a greater probability of responding to a therapy. This favours the effectiveness of treatments, and reduces the time of availability for people suffering from a disease. But there is much more.
AI also increases the effectiveness of medicines before they even reach patients. How? During manufacturing, AI improves the design and control of processes. This optimizes stock, production and inventory management. This increases product efficiency, which is beneficial to the environment. It also allows trends to be monitored to drive continuous improvement. In production plants, AI also helps maximize employee safety. It does so through systems that alert to behaviors that could end up causing an accident.
The use of artificial intelligence models allows the selection of genetic or marker patterns with which to identify groups of patients with a higher probability of responding to a therapy.
Another area where these technologies are proving effective is in recruiting people for clinical trials. AI makes it easier to analyze large patient databases to identify those who meet specific criteria for a trial, increasing the accuracy and efficiency of the selection process.
By using predictive models, it is also possible to assess who is most likely to respond positively to the treatment being studied, which improves trial success rates. As AI can also help identify underrepresented groups of patients, a broader diversity in medical trials is ensured, which results in a better application of the results of these tests.
Using advanced data analysis and machine learning techniques, AI also helps identify hidden correlations and patterns between drug effects and conditions not covered by their original approved indications. This includes analyzing results from previous studies, patient registries, and other biomedical databases. This makes it easier to identify potential new therapeutic applications for drugs already on the market. This methodology not only speeds up the drug development process by reducing the need for lengthy and costly initial clinical trials, but also offers a way to expand the treatment available for other medical conditions, thereby maximizing the therapeutic potential of existing drugs.
Responsibility and ethics
In this AI-dominated context, Farmaindustria advocates for an ethical and regulatory framework to guide its application. Ultimately, pharmaceutical companies advocate an ethical and humanistic approach in all initiatives related to artificial intelligence. The goal is to ensure that technology is used for the benefit of society and healthcare at all stages of the pharmaceutical sector value chain.
The key recommendations proposed by Farmaindustria cover five aspects. One of them refers to transparency and accountability: total clarity must be guaranteed in the development, implementation and use of AI solutions, and it must be ensured that the processes and algorithms are understandable and explainable. Another point is related to equity and inclusion. In this case, it must be verified that the use of artificial intelligence in the health field respects the principles of equality, to avoid bias and discrimination. To do this, the inclusion of various groups of patients and healthcare professionals in the design and validation of AI solutions must be guaranteed.
Farmaindustria advocates for an ethical and regulatory framework to guide the application of technology. The ultimate goal is to ensure that it is used for the benefit of health and society.
Regarding privacy and data protection, Farmaindustria advocates implementing strong safeguards for the protection of personal data and user privacy in the use of AI, as well as ensuring informed consent and patient autonomy in the processing of their data. Security and reliability is another aspect to take into account: validation and continuous monitoring processes must be established to guarantee the quality and performance of AI applications, and to minimize the risks of errors, failures or harmful results. Finally, the innovative pharmaceutical industry advocates maintaining human supervision and control in critical decision-making, preserving responsibility and accountability and clearly defining the responsibilities of the different actors involved in the development and use of AI in health.
With all these recommendations, Farmaindustria aims to ensure that artificial intelligence is developed and applied in an ethical and safe manner, in favour of patients and healthcare professionals. The aim is to achieve a more reliable, equitable healthcare ecosystem that is focused on people’s well-being.
