Pharmaceutical Executive-03-01-2001

The number of pharmaceuticals in development recently mushroomed, and the complexity of trials is increasing. Amgen has reduced its cycle times but still wants to improve efficiency and cost effectiveness as it enlarges its pipeline, presenting tough new challenges in clinical research.

Of course, Digital Pharma and the drug Virtua are fantasy. But the digital technologies highlighted in the fictional news story are available today.

How can we use the Internet to communicate more effectively with wholesale customers and increase efficiencies by automating work processes? That intriguing question from our marketing group started the ball rolling, recalls Mike Conley, executive director of customer service at Novartis.

It}s generally accepted that pharmaceutical companies need to transform their business processes to remain competitive in the global economy. Shareholders, analysts, partners, suppliers, and customers consistently applaud announcements about information technology (IT) improvements. But managing the necessary changes to exploit the value of e-business initiatives is more problematic than many companies realize, requiring a focused management effort, within which is buried the stealth issue of e-business taxation.

Privacy isn}t your worst nightmare, but ignoring consumers} fears might be.

Americans are notoriously obsessed with health. In fact, more than 40 million go online to visit health sites, the vast majority seeking information about pharmaceuticals. As a result, drug manufacturers} product sites play a leading role in consumers} healthcare knowledge.