Artificial intelligence has become one of the most highly anticipated developments of this generation, with many different industries being able to benefit from the revelatory technology.
One, in particular, is AI in the pharmaceutical industry. Through the use of automated algorithms, tasks within this sector can now be performed in a way that only humans could once do. Through only 5 years, the pharmaceutical industry has seen drastic changes within the way scientists work, develop medicine, and help treat diseases.
Because of its power, machine learning is being used everywhere, with 61% of businesses investing in innovative developments that include the use of artificial intelligence and deep learning.
In this article, we will be discussing the top benefits of AI in the pharmaceutical industry, and just how the groundbreaking technology has developed the industry to use deep learning in a way that’s changed the pharmaceutical industry forever.
Drug Discovery
Machine learning has many beneficial uses in the medical industry. For example, it has quickly begun working to predict the success rate of a product. This, it can achieve through an initial screening test of each compound featured within a product. A crucial job within this industry, helping to discover new and successful drugs that can aid the work conducted by doctors to achieve the highest success rates when it comes to the health of each patient.
As well as this, by implementing artificial intelligence within drug trialing and testing, the industry could save millions by the amount of time it takes to approve a drug and place it on the market.
Disease Identification And Medicine
Through the development of artificial intelligence in the pharmaceutical industry, doctors have now been given the correct tools required to detect diseases early on within their development stages. Due to the severity of many illnesses, this new form of technology has increased the chances of patients being able to survive and get better, rather than the discovery of their illness at a crucial stage. Not only this, AI and its many benefits now have the ability to predict the future health risks of patients. Machine learning can conduct this defiant task by reviewing and analyzing each patient’s genetic makeup, looking for both potential death and illness in later years.
The IBM Watson computer has become the leading device within personalized treatment decisions. The IBM Watson computer works by analyzing the data of the patient’s history and individual medical data to help produce a reputable answer, to what treatment or medical procedures they should undergo. Within the space of just a few minutes, the supercomputer can analyze and devise an answer for any health department, particularly the oncology sector, in order to get treatment started instantly within such a life-threatening area.
Tackling Rare Diseases
Artificial intelligence in the pharmaceutical industry can also be used to take on tasks that are far too difficult and time consuming for that of human doctors. For example, diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s Disease. This is entirely groundbreaking for the pharmaceutical industry, as 95% of rare diseases currently do not have a form of treatment. Yet with the form of AI, machine learning can now work to decrease this as quickly as possible, by using its extensive research and analysis to find the right treatment per case, aiding the doctors and reducing the time it would have taken them to try and find a procedure to put in place to help this rare case. Or more specifically, the researchers will train the machine to recognize such diseases, by showing it 30,000 different types of disease by image, so it can detect it exactly, next time it is seen.
This percentage of rare disease cases has built up so high, as the healthcare sector values the importance of creating cures for more generic illnesses in comparison to rare diseases. This is because research on more rare diseases can produce a lower return on investment, so efforts it took to produce the drugs needed does not warrant the hard work and manpower.
Conducting Repetitive Tasks
While this may not be as high up in seriousness and importance, artificial intelligence can help aid the work of doctors by taking on and completing the tedious, repetitive tasks that they have to complete.
From redirecting calls, scheduling meetings and using IoT (internet of things) to control the technologies within the building. By using this form of technology, Artificial Intelligence frees up time to allow doctors to focus on more urgent or serious procedures while addressing and checking up on more patients within the working day.
It works by using automated workplace services, an algorithmic system that is put in place onto all smart devices to complete the repetitive, tedious tasks that can take large chunks of each working day.
Virtual Coaching
Sometimes, after extensive research, testing and consultations, a medicine used upon a patient will not have the intended results. It may be down to a patient not fully understanding their treatment process or may have a busy lifestyle where taking medicines gets thrown to the back of their minds, both these key factors can slow down what should be a positive process.
Because of this, a change needed to be implemented. Through the use of virtual collaboration and coaching, a form of ‘smart coaching’ has been developed. Smart coaching works in a way to communicate with a patient in a way they will understand, without needing any involvement with a doctor.
From here all treatments can be monitored to ensure the patient gets the best outcome, not skipping doses, and can become well again within a good time.
Summary
There is no telling to what extent artificial intelligence will develop too, and how its advancement may affect the pharmaceutical industry. What is clear, however, is that technology will work in a way to induce success, make money, and aid in the treatment and research of patients all over the world.
With the distribution of undergoing treatment of the rarest diseases, discovering drugs and even virtual coaching to ensure patients are taking their treatments as seriously as possible, AI and deep learning are already creating positive steps within the medical industry. Helping to make the pharmaceutical industry far more reputable and successful, patients can leave their nearest hospital satisfied, and hopefully well again no matter the illness at hand.
While it may be an imperfect piece of technology that can still develop further, it will not be going anywhere anytime soon. With money, time and a lot of hard work being implemented into the future of AI, the potential development of artificial intelligence and its benefits of AI in the Pharmaceutical industry are endless.
About the author: Sydney Tierney has recently finished her studies. She is working her way into the world of column and editorial writing and currently for Tillison Consulting.
