Cloud Computing for Pharma: The Road to Digital Transformation 

Massive challenges like the global pandemic forced many industries to rethink how they handle data storage, and pharma was no exception. When COVID hit, the urgent need to accelerate drug development meant shrinking timelines from years to months, with no room for compromises on quality.  

Cloud computing was one of the facilitators of this shift. Cloud-based tools allowed pharma companies to capture and share clinical data between research teams both securely and quickly. The rest is history: vaccines were delivered worldwide in record time, saving millions of lives.

In this article, we will explore the main use cases for cloud computing in pharmaceutical industry, its benefits, and the challenges that still need to be addressed. 

Intro to Cloud Computing in Pharma 

Cloud computing gives life sciences companies a flexible way to handle data storage. Instead of pouring money into physical data centers and servers, they can access remote, on-demand, storages as needed. This allows them to scale quickly, gain a competitive edge, and save money for more important things like research and development.  

Let’s not forget the massive amount of data the life sciences industry generates daily. Cloud-based systems help eliminate data silos, allowing companies to better use their data to drive business growth. Cloud computing empowers life sciences organizations to transform various business processes and adopt innovative technologies like artificial intelligence (AI). 

Why Cloud Computing is Crucial in the Pharmaceutical Industry

Cloud technologies have revolutionized the life sciences industry. Let’s explore the areas that have seen the most significant changes.

Cloud computing accelerates drug discovery 

The gap between companies investing in cloud technologies and those avoiding it is set to grow. For example, AstraZeneca, which relies on cloud solutions to accelerate drug research and development, will likely get products to market faster than any company that has resisted this digital transformation.  

“Ultimately, the cloud is the latest example of Schumpeterian creative destruction: creating wealth for those who exploit it; and leading to the demise of those that don’t.” – Joe Weinman, Senior VP at Telx. 

This innovative approach has brought more than 40 successful drug discovery projects to AstraZeneca. Thanks to its partnership with AWS, it can conduct 51 billion statistical tests in less than 24 hours. By the end of 2026, the company will be able to analyze two million genomes. Isn’t scalability one of the most important goals each drug manufacturer is striving for? 

Thanks to cloud computing, research teams can collaborate and share their findings securely and efficiently. This allows scientists to analyze lab results and draw conclusions more quickly.  

Life sciences companies can adopt third-party software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions for drug discovery or build custom tools in collaboration with a cloud provider. For instance, many pharmaceutical companies use cloud-based platforms for remote research and development labs, regulatory compliance, and clinical trial data management. 

Cloud computing facilitates effortless collaboration 

Cloud computing makes it easier for life sciences companies to communicate and collaborate globally. With cloud platforms, professionals can share ideas, seek second opinions, and fill knowledge gaps faster, speeding up breakthroughs in healthcare. Today, cloud-based collaboration tools help stakeholders keep communication open at every product lifecycle stage, from discovery to manufacturing.  

Cloud applications also let healthcare providers (HCPs) cooperate with patients, track their side effects, and prompt patients to seek care when needed.  For example, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) teamed up with Oracle to develop a cloud-based health check system that allowed the reporting of COVID-19 vaccine side effects.

This quick reporting helped the CDC gather crucial data on the vaccine’s effectiveness, contributing to its further improvements. Medical journals then used this data to debunk myths about the vaccine circulating online and raise public awareness about the deadly virus. 

Cloud computing provides secure data sharing for clinical trials 

High dropout rates in longitudinal trials are a big concern for drug manufacturers. An analysis of 71 randomized controlled trials published in leading medical journals shows that 18% of trials have a dropout rate of 20%, which leaves room for biased clinical results.  

Why do so many patients leave the clinical trials? Many are still designed with life sciences companies in mind, requiring patients to make frequent hospital visits without compensation for their time or effort. Cloud computing is helping to change this by enabling decentralized clinical trials. 

Source: Pharma Technology Focus 

Cloud solutions have shifted the burden away from patients. With decentralized trials, patients can now report their health status from the comfort of their homes. With less time commitment and fewer scheduling conflicts, it is no surprise that dropout rates have decreased dramatically. 

Besides, cloud computing pairs well with AI, allowing scientists to analyze clinical trial data with surgical precision. This is especially helpful in recruiting participants and designing the trials.

The cloud also merges with other technologies like electronic health records (EHRs), wearables, telemedicine, and mobile apps, enhancing patient engagement and communication. Sano Genetics is a great example of a cloud app that connects patients with clinical research opportunities tailored to their genetic data. Its Virtual Waiting Room provides personalized content to keep users engaged between trial stages, which helps boost compliance rates. 

Cloud computing helps to comply with regulations 

Cloud technology helps life sciences companies navigate a heavily regulated industry without the need to gather physical dossiers. The regulatory submission process has become much smoother and quicker. The regulatory bodies can now access company data directly from cloud servers and track drug safety in real-time.  

Traditional pharmacovigilance leads to time-consuming manual reporting. Cloud computing makes real-time monitoring possible, allowing timely detection of drug safety signals. The data submitted to the cloud lets regulators perform instant analysis and expedite approvals. 

What’s more, pharmaceutical regulations change and evolve rapidly, making compliance quite tricky. Cloud technology empowers companies to trace regulatory changes and revise processes and procedures accordingly. 

Cloud computing improves supply chain resilience 

Counterfeit products are a serious issue in the life sciences industry, posing a significant threat to patient health and safety. Cloud computing enhances transparency in the supply chain by enabling drug manufacturers to trace every component back to its origin.  

Real-time monitoring of a drug’s location drastically reduces the possibility of errors and prevents counterfeiting. Cloud-based systems collect data at every stage of the drug’s journey, combating the grey market and ensuring product authenticity. 

Cloud computing enhances pharmaceutical marketing efforts 

It is no secret that great marketing starts with having complete, high-quality data. Traditional on-premises systems often struggle with data silos, making it hard to share information and perform solid data analysis. This stifles effective customer segmentation, personalization, and omnichannel marketing efforts.  

Cloud computing solves this by allowing brands to centralize terabytes and petabytes of data securely. Marketing teams can easily collaborate with other departments and clients, sharing documents and files to create compelling campaigns.  

Additionally, advanced cloud analytics provide key insights into how to guide HCPs and patients through the sales funnel. It gives marketers a clear view of what really matters to customers – and what is holding them back. 

Let’s say an HCP browses a pharmaceutical company’s website. Cloud data analytics can monitor the pages they explore, the links they click, and even the areas where they linger. Marketers can then leverage this data to tailor personalized content that meets their specific needs. 

Not to mention, this kind of personalization is possible in real-time. Cloud technology coupled with AI data analytics helps life sciences companies gain data-driven insights and create engaging, relevant content on the fly.  

 Example of real-time content personalization 

By analyzing the HCP’s actions on the website, AI-driven cloud analytics can choose the most relevant pre-approved modules and create content that is tailored to their immediate needs. Since customer preferences can shift rapidly, this gives pharmaceutical brands a significant competitive edge in engaging their audience. 

Let’s Talk Numbers 

The cloud market is piping hot right now. According to recent statistics, 95% of companies in sectors like public services, manufacturing, IT and technology, retail, and finance now use cloud solutions. It is no surprise that the global market is growing at a compound annual rate of 20%.  

Another key finding: 96% of respondents said cloud-based systems have exceeded their expectations. However, the survey also shows that only 42% of companies have fully moved to the cloud, while 55% still rely on on-premises solutions to some extent.

If the cloud is so effective, why are so many companies digging in their heels and resisting innovation? Let’s explore this further in the section below. 

Cloud Computing in Pharma Today: Challenges & Solutions 

Anything connected to the Internet can be vulnerable to cyberattacks. Moving your data from in-house servers to the cloud exposes your system to potential security risks. In addition, this change shifts responsibility for security from your organization to a third-party cloud provider, which can be difficult, especially if there are trust issues.  

However, if you choose a reliable cloud vendor like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud, or Microsoft Azure, these extreme worries are often overblown. Leading providers typically have hundreds of experts dedicated to data security, ensuring your data remains safe and is not accessed by unauthorized third parties. 

Data sovereignty is another key concern for most pharmaceutical brands as they decide whether to move to the cloud. Personal data is subject to the legal regulations of the country where the individual resides, which can make cloud adoption painful.  

For instance, if you are based in Greece and want to work with a trusted provider like AWS, you could run into data sovereignty issues, as AWS does not have a data center in your country.

To address this, many major cloud providers set up data centers in various countries to enable local data storage. Yet, they must navigate different internet governance regulations to make this happen. 

Moving to the Cloud with Ease

These days, nearly every sector has its own success story of moving to the cloud. However, this shift did not happen overnight. It has brought significant changes to companies of all sizes, impacting everything from business operations to internal processes. 

If you want to change your infrastructure, the Viseven team is here to guide you through the entire journey. We have over a decade of expertise delivering our cloud-based content experience platform, eWizard, and helping numerous pharmaceutical companies make a smooth move to the cloud. Our cloud services also cover cloud architecture design, consulting, management, DevOps as a service, and cloud cost optimization. 

Ready to turn the page to the cloud-based future? Get in touch, and we will reach out to you soon. 

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