8 TECH OUTLOOKDecember 2016The rapid decrease in the cost of DNA sequencing that has occurred since 2008 has ignited innovation in the precision medicine area. Dynamic changes in pharma, medicine, technology and biotech are all occurring simultaneously around the development of advanced capabilities to deliver precision medicine to patients. As expectations for care delivery are becoming more personalized, the traditional model of pharmaceutical manufacturing, distribution and utilization will be heavily disrupted in the next decade. A cancer diagnosis will impact approximately 39.6 percent of men and women during their lifetime. That staggering statistic provokes an intense focus around rapidly bringing new and more effective options for patients. I believe that technology is the way clinical capabilities and outcomes will advance to new levels of excellence in oncology, and the pharmaceutical industry will be a critical component to enable the rapid change to deliver improved and individualized treatment options to patients. The following are a few examples of areas that I am monitoring closely and believe will have significant impact on the pharmaceutical industry:1. Imprecision to precision medicine will be a forceful pressure on pharmaceutical companies based on current effectiveness with the top ten highest-grossing drugs in the United States helping between 4-25 percent of the people that take them. Physicians will take into account the lifestyle, genetics and environment of patients to make treatment recommendations that are individualized. When a patient has genomic testing completed, physicians can make treatment recommendations based on targeted therapies that will be most effective for that individual. The expansion of pharmacogenomics is critical in cancer care with current medication ineffectiveness affecting as many as 75 percent of patients.2. Traditional physician role is shifting to the role of coach due to the rate of new discovery and the pace of information How Technology Advancements are Disrupting the Pharmaceutical IndustryBy Kristin H. Darby, CIO, Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA)IN MY OPINION
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