In this digital interview hosted at Fierce JPM Week, Gaurav Marya of Cognizant is joined by Samer Ansari of Takeda to discuss what digital transformation means in today’s biopharma world.
Samer begins by describing Takeda’s decision-making framework, which puts patients first, and how digital transformation initiatives must take the same approach and focus on patients as a priority.
The conversation then turns to generative AI and ideas that pharma can work on that can have immediate impact on their business. Samer discusses the key gen AI use cases for Takeda and how gen AI provides a unique opportunity to address those problems in an innovative way.
The two industry leaders also explore how digital is not about technology but rather about creating an elevated human experience. Samer explains that the intersection of the top technology trends today – gen AI, quantum computing, and AR/VR, to name a few – will become more mainstream for humans in general, and Takeda is building the foundation for that elevated human experience to become the most trusted, science-driven digital biopharmaceutical organization.
Want to learn more? Watch the full conversation today.
Gaurav Marya:
Hi, I am Gaurav Marya. I'm the Strategic Business Unit Head for Life Sciences at Cognizant. Today, I'm joined with Samer Ansari. Samer, it's really a pleasure to have you here today. Samer is the Head of Data, Digital and Technology for Takeda's Oncology Business Unit, so really happy that you could join us for a quick conversation today.
So, Samer, when we think about digital for biopharma, what do you think? What does digital really mean for biopharma today?
Samer Ansari:
Thank you, Gaurav. Thank you for having me and thank you for the kind introduction. I think digital transformation has been a buzzword that's been going around, and the industry has been trying to crack at it for a while, but to me it's very important that it is very business focused. In Takeda, we have a very interesting framework that we apply in everything we do. It's a decision-making framework; it's called PTRB - patient first, then trust, then reputation, and then business follows. I think we anchor digital transformation in the same way, as well. We focus on patient, and then trust, reputation, and the business; eventually we'll get benefit from it as well. For me, the key is tying it to enabling behaviors, enabling priorities that move the PTRB model forward. That's the key. It's not digital for the sake of digital; it's digital for the sake of patients, trust, reputation and business.
Gaurav Marya:
Absolutely. And if you really think about digital, one can't really ignore artificial intelligence, and gen AI, as the latest buzzword for the year. Gen AI has been getting laid down as foundational between all the biopharma clients, which I have been talking to. What does gen AI mean for biopharma, and what are some of the ideas which people could start working on to make an immediate impact on their business?
Samer Ansari:
Yeah, it's fascinating how the industry really gets excited with these new things that keep coming out. I remember in November when the gen AI phenomenon hit the newsfeeds for all of us, and folks like yourself, you have done really well to keep us apprised of what it is, what it can do. And Takeda is no exception. We definitely see the promise of gen AI, AI in general, but definitely gen AI. What I'm very excited about, and now what Takeda is focusing on, is the content generation, medical, legal, regulatory review of content. And there's analytics summarization use cases. Those areas are really of particular interest because the needs of our customers and patients are such that they expect personalized content. And for us, we need to create lots more of personalized content at a fraction of the cost. That's where gen AI gives us a very unique opportunity to solve that problem in an innovative way. And for us, focusing on that is key, and that personally is an area for passion for me as well.
Gaurav Marya:
Samer, if you really think about digital, we have all the technology which is available to make the impact, but digital is not about technology. It's really about creating an elevated human experience, whether it's patient experience, client experience, customer experience, employee experience. So organizations which are embracing digital - how do they develop human experience design as a superpower, and differentiate themselves on these elevated experiences, and build it as a part of their DNA?
Samer Ansari:
I think, for Takeda specifically, we have an ambition to become the most trusted, science-driven digital biopharmaceutical organization. If you look at the trends that are happening, quantum computing is happening - AR, VR, AI, gen AI, 5G, blockchain - you think of all these capabilities as individual capabilities. And we know, being in tech, we know tech is there. There are real capabilities that are evolving, but it's the intersection of these five or six things in the next two to three years that will become more mainstream for humans in general. Using that as an opportunity to start building the foundation for that elevated human experience now is the key, and we're focused on that. And I think that's where my passion is also to make sure that we start building now to be ready for tomorrow as it becomes more mainstream.
Gaurav Marya:
So, high value, elevated client experiences, elevated human experiences. Thank you so much, Samer, for your time today.
Samer Ansari:
Thank you, Gaurav.