Pharma cos drifting from point solutions to a platform-based, AI-led approach: Indegene CTO

Bengaluru-based life sciences commercialisation company Indegene that became publicly listed in May 2024, aims to solve healthcare challenges using technology-led innovation. The company's revenue grew from $20 million to $230 million pre-IPO, funding 13 acquisitions. Notably, a large chunk of the company’s revenue comes from the top 20 global pharma companies, mostly based in the US and Europe. In an exclusive interview with TechCircle, Indegene's Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Tarun Mathur sees tailwinds in the US market, rising healthcare costs and other macro developments pushing life sciences industry to adopt a technology-driven approach to gain efficiency. He also explains how technologies such as Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) are changing the overall landscape of the industry. Edited excerpts:

What makes the life sciences industry bullish on GenAI?

The Life Sciences industry is bullish on GenAI due to two opposing forces: the need for faster innovation to address unmet medical needs and the pressure to achieve more with less amidst increasing commercialisation complexities, evolving stakeholder preferences, and pricing pressures.

GenAI is already helping pharma reimagine the commercialisation value chain: from helping recruit the right patients faster for clinical trials to improving adherence, accelerating content development and improving accuracy for regulatory submissions, hyper-personalising the HCP and patient communication and experiences, to improving the speed and effectiveness of pharmacovigilance, among others. We will see the industry steadily ramp up GenAI adoption and move towards solving more complex, more specialised use cases over the next couple of years.

In which areas do you see GenAI’s greatest potential for transformation?

Initially, GenAI's impact will be most evident in efficiency and productivity gains. While specialised models will benefit areas like early drug research, a measured approach to augmenting existing processes is expected. Longer-term, core process re-engineering will occur, driven by early successes and the need for differentiated customer experiences. GenAI-driven customer experiences will become a significant motivator.

How can pharma companies successfully integrate GenAI into their core workflows?

We see some of the more progressive pharma companies moving away from integrating point solutions. They are taking more of a platform approach. They are thinking of a long-term, AI-first scenario. The perception is growing that agent-based AI will manage mission-critical application logic, rendering fragmented point solutions redundant. A platform enables seamless data federation, centralised governance, and rapid, scalable solution development. That said, having a platform-based approach to the agents that allows a seamless enterprise data governance, and system integration, will allow businesses to rapidly develop and implement solutions in a more reliable and scalable way.

With that context, what is the value proposition of your new GenAI platform ‘Cortex’? What tangible outcomes does it deliver?

Indegene's Cortex, a purpose-built GenAI platform for life sciences, enables leaders to scale this technology with enterprise-grade governance. It streamlines content supply chains, improves medical writing, and accelerates MLR reviews. Its knowledge engineering interface codifies Indegene’s expertise into knowledge graphs, and its agents can be configured with preferred LLMs and integrated into customer IT environments via standards-based protocols. This fosters reliable, accurate, and trustworthy outcomes with faster turnaround and Return of Investment (RoI) compared to generic platforms. Cortex empowers leaders to develop their IP leveraging Indegene’s technology and knowledge. Furthermore, Cortex prioritises security, privacy, and ethical data use, with embedded safeguards designed for compliance and responsible AI. In other words, life sciences leaders demand an AI infrastructure that adapts to new business models, processes and experiences. Cortex empowers them to develop their own intellectual property (IP), leveraging Indegene’s technology and knowledge engineering practices.

How does your R&D Investment in AI and emerging technologies align with the company's long-term vision for healthcare innovation?

Our R&D investments in AI and emerging technologies are deeply integrated with our long-term vision for healthcare innovation. GenAI agents are seen as the primary driver for transforming legacy processes and improving patient outcomes. Various research and advisory firms have identified Indegene as a Front-Runner for scaling GenAI, capturing industry-specific use cases, building partnerships and delivering value.

What are the skills that tech talent should prioritise in the coming months for AI and other emerging technologies?

Attracting and retaining top talent in AI and emerging technologies is critical to our success and innovation. The bulk of our talent is based in India (The company had set up its global delivery centre in Hyderabad last year). We continue to nurture an environment that encourages creativity and innovation, allowing professionals to work on groundbreaking projects with global life sciences firms that push the boundaries of what’s possible, and help make the pharma industry future-ready. Our 'GenAI@Work' initiative, for example, empowers employees to deliver personalised solutions, enhance engagement, automate workflows, and promote continuous learning, boosting productivity and enabling focus on higher-value tasks. The evolving AI-driven landscape requires interdisciplinary collaboration across legal, ethics, HR, and subject matter experts. A cultural shift towards continuous learning and experimentation is crucial for success. Prioritised skills include machine learning foundations, data management, programming, cloud platforms, critical thinking, and communication.

Beyond GenAI, what emerging technologies do you see as most disruptive for the life sciences segment, and how are you preparing to capitalise on them?

Major advancements in hardware and biosensors are other technological areas that will significantly impact life sciences. When these technologies are combined with GenAI, the potential to have highly personalised patient treatments and journeys at scale, along with significant cost savings, are bound to be unlocked. This could lead to completely new therapy classes where the prescription is a combination of hardware, software, and medicines that deliver amazing patient outcomes.

What tailwinds do you see driving Indegene’s growth in the next few years?

We are currently addressing a large and growing market opportunity. We believe the headroom for growth is significant over the next 5-10 years and beyond. With emerging therapies in immunology, neurology, and oncology, the number of pharma product launches is expected to increase significantly in the next 3-5 years. We plan to play a pivotal role in this growth by leveraging our technological expertise and helping pharma companies get their commercialisation journey right, with a data-driven, AI-first approach. Regulatory pressures in key markets such as the US and EU, rising healthcare costs, and other macro developments are expected to push life sciences companies to adopt more efficient, technology-driven approaches to drug commercialisation. Indegene is fully geared up to capitalise on this opportunity dynamic and strengthen our positioning as the industry’s trusted partner to deliver improved health outcomes.