AR & VR in The Healthcare Industry: What's Behind The Hype?

An overview of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) applications for patients, healthcare professionals and pharmaceutical industry professionals

Written by: Mathurin Baquié, PhD

[email protected]

www.dhirubhai.net/in/mathurin-baquie

Sections:

- Introduction

- AR and VR, what is the difference?

- AR & VR devices

- Advantages and constraints of AR & VR

- The potential of AR & VR via strategic partnerships

- The interest of AR & VR

- AR & VR markets

- Applications of AR & VR

  VR and diagnosis

  AR and patient monitoring

  VR and pain management

  VR and anxiety

  VR and motivation

  AR and surgery

  VR and rehabilitation

  VR and education

  VR and public awareness

  VR and drug discovery

  AR and drug manufacturing

  VR and clinical trials

  VR and pharmaceutical marketing communications

- Conclusion

- About the author

- Conflicts of interest

- Disclaimer
        

The Matterhorn stands as the icon of Switzerland. It remains a mythical mountain whose ascent is only open to experienced mountaineers…

At least until 23 June 2021, the date of the launch of the experience entitled RED BULL "THE EDGE". On this occasion, it will be possible to experience in virtual reality (VR) and under adrenaline the vertiginous ascent of the last meters of the peak, on a facsimile. The apprentice climber will simply have to equip himself/herself with a harness and a VR headset.

Not recommended for acrophobes, those of us who suffer from the fear of heights; the most widespread phobia in the world.

Definitely not recommended?

Quite the contrary. Several meta-analyses of clinical studies have demonstrated the relevance of virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET), a new approach to traditional cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). When the virtual experience is appropriately planned, the patients can benefit from an immersive, safe and personalized environment. They can then face their phobia according to flexible scenarios, without the rigid constraints of a real-life therapy. And the drop in the price of electronic devices makes this approach increasingly accessible to the greatest number.

Thus, VR and AR appear as highly attractive technologies within a vast spectrum of complementary applications. It is then a question of adapting these tools to each identified need.

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AR and VR, what is the difference?

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the general public's familiarity with mixed reality technologies, however augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are often confused when in fact they are very different technologies.

Virtual reality cuts the user off from physical reality to keep him/her in a completely virtual and interactive sensory environment. From a visual point of view, the rendering is in three dimensions (3D) to stimulate the immersion effect. The visual illusion of depth (stereoscopy) and a lively interactivity are two major parameters to be privileged in order to make the experience credible for the user. This technology is offered in real time through the use of a computer device.

As we have already described, an illustration corresponds to the use of a helmet immersing the patient in a virtual space that is gradually stressful in order to overcome his/her fear of heights.

Virtual reality creates an entirely virtual sensory environment while augmented reality enriches the restitution of physical reality with virtual elements

Augmented reality consists in enriching the reproduction of physical reality via an electronic device, in real time. Virtual data are superimposed on the restitution of the physical reality to better inform or guide the user in his/her choices. Of course, visual perception is the most solicited but the whole of proprioception, including in particular the senses of hearing and touch, can be considered.

An obvious example is the assistance to the maintenance of medical devices. The technician will be able to pre-visualize the interior of the medical device to be serviced thanks to the superimposition of virtual elements on the image of the device's envelope. Augmented reality plays with physical barriers to make the hidden content of the device virtually visible.

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AR & VR devices

In both cases, the technology requires hardware as well as software to identify the movements of the user in his/her environment. Regarding hardware, augmented reality currently has a significant advantage for rapid adoption: a smartphone is sufficient in many cases, while professional-level virtual reality does not rely on this device and uses at least a dedicated headset (head-mounted display, HMD, and headphones) for a quality immersive audiovisual experience.

Companies expert in the production of professional headsets include notably Oculus, a spin-off of Facebook, and Pico.

For the positioning in the surrounding space, these devices evaluate their environment according to six degrees of freedom (6DoF). The three most obvious are the surge (forward/backward), the heave (up/down) and the sway (left/right). Then there is the rotation around each of the three perpendicular axes, the yaw (vertical axis), the pitch (transverse axis), and the roll (longitudinal axis).

More complex approaches to VR exist such as projecting images onto the walls of a room. This is the cave automatic virtual environment, i.e. CAVE, in reference to the allegory of the philosopher Plato where humans trapped inside a cave only perceive the reflections of reality and not the physical reality itself. In the CAVE approach, the 3D effect is rendered by alternating the activation of the lenses of the stereoscopic shutter glasses according to the user's position in the room.

In other cases, one can add a joystick with force feedback, or haptic gloves (linked to the sense of touch) which can for example restore the sensation of heat, or even simulate the roughness of virtual objects.

When considering sound production, the ambisonics experience accentuates the illusion of a 3D environment. The principle is to persuade the user that the sounds do not all come from the same place and that their respective intensities depend on the distance of each sound source from the user.

The more the user's senses are lured, the better the immersive experience.

Obviously, AR and VR both benefit from artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies to broaden their fields of application. All these attractive approaches should not obscure the need for special attention to the protection of patient data.

From a cost perspective, AR & VR technologies are becoming increasingly affordable. Compared to the 2017-2018 period, hardware prices have dropped by a factor of 10. As a result, the adoption of these methods is strongly stimulated.

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Advantages and constraints of AR & VR

Compared to VR, AR benefits greatly from the democratization of access to smartphones. In 2021, nearly 6.4 billion people appear to have a smartphone, which is more than 80% of the world's population. The potential of AR is enormous.

However, augmented reality faces a major hurdle. Users are reluctant to download a dedicated application. This reluctance pushes the offer towards online solutions or towards a more precise targeting of potential customers. Particular segments of the population will be much more willing to accept high constraints of use as long as they get an obvious benefit, such as diabetic patients under an identified treatment to ensure a personalized online medical follow-up or, in another case, the sales representatives of a specific pharmaceutical company to get access to attractive marketing tools.

Regarding virtual reality, it offers an immersive environment only limited by the imagination of the designers and the convincing quality of the rendering. Depending on the needs, the rendering can become very realistic or, on the contrary, switch to a universe disconnected from the known world. This opens the way to very diverse and complementary applications. Nevertheless, it should be kept in mind that the user has a large degree of freedom in this universe, so the scenario should guide and suggest avenues to explore rather than constrain and impose strict choices.

Undoubtedly, VR faces constraints. These are mainly financial, in order to produce professional level content from the start and to have a high quality headset (as well as other devices such as gloves or controllers). Users are demanding and appreciate the latest hardware. However, technology is evolving very quickly in this sector, which encourages healthcare institutions or pharmaceutical companies to prefer renting equipment from specialists rather than purchasing equipment that will be difficult to amortize over long periods of time.

A common attraction of AR & VR technology lies in the possibility of unlimited reuse of the environment and the scenario for a large number of users.

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The potential of AR & VR via strategic partnerships

The adoption of AR & VR in healthcare is in the start-up phase. The major difficulty to a wide use lies in the human factor. Most often, the technical expertise in digital transformation on the one hand and in biomedical sciences on the other hand are not held by the same people. This results in a difficulty in a good and quick match between the needs and the generation of the products. The design of AR & VR devices and software needs to be better adapted to the healthcare field.

Thus, to optimize the use of AR & VR, companies and institutions in the healthcare domain must combine 5 approaches:

• Plan an organization, centralized around a dedicated team, to manage and coordinate AR & VR activities,
• Identify the uses that will produce sustainable added value, by being attentive to the needs and constraints, particularly regulatory,
• Provide AR & VR technologies that are easy to install, use and maintain/update,
• Train staff and recruit professionals in the field to best adapt technologies to needs and constraints,
• Adjust infrastructures, products and services to integrate AR & VR as soon as possible.

Success is often more effective and quicker if strategic partnerships are favoured. The aim is to build bridges between start-ups in AR/VR innovation (with its many subfields) on the one hand, and companies with experience in the healthcare or pharmaceutical industry on the other.

For example, the renowned Mayo Clinic, with its three campuses in Rochester, Minnesota; Jacksonville, Florida; and Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona, announced on 30 October 2018 the signing of a three-year strategic alliance and co-development agreement with London-based FundamentalVR Ltd. The goal of the partnership targeted the development and use of virtual reality platforms for surgical training and simulation.

In the United Kingdom, the NHS England Diabetes Team partnered with Oxford Medical Simulation in 2019 to produce a virtual educational program.

More broadly, strategic partnerships are a major tool in the AR and VR industries, as recalled in the case of the 11 July 2018, exclusivity agreement between U.S. AR specialist Magic Leap, Inc. and AT&T Inc., the U.S. telecommunications conglomerate.

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The interest of AR & VR

One of the first example of virtual reality, too early for its time, seems to be the technology described in the US patent US3050870A, granted on 28 August 1962 with a priority date of 10 January 1961. The invention, called Sensorama Simulator, was aimed at a single seated user and offered a few 3D movies, e.g. Motorcycle, Belly Dancer or Dune Buggy, combining image, sound, smell of aromas, illusion of wind and vibrations.

Gradually, the virtual world developed. It was even impacted by events that were unexpected at first sight: Virtual viral infections occurred. Fortunately, they only caused the avatars of online players to disappear, but it is interesting to note that their dynamics were quite comparable to the physical world. On 13 September 2005, when the developers of the online game World of Warcraft (Blizzard Entertainment, Irvine, CA, USA) had added a new viral challenge, called "Corrupted Blood" , in a virtual geographical area accessible only to experienced players, the unexpected behavior of some users led to a spread of the virus to other regions of the game where the avatars present were less seasoned and less resistant to the virtual virus. This outbreak destroyed about 4 million avatars and led to indescribable social chaos within the game.

VR & AR thus initially emerged from the world of entertainment and then conquered the field of video games. Later, the appeal of these methods spread to other sectors, based on the following observations:

• On the one hand, the memorization of a learning experience is increased when the learner is fully immersed in a proactive educational experience, such as during an internship in a company;
• On the other hand, teaching through (serious) games stimulates the learner's attention and memorization.

As a result, AR & VR are now applying the principle of gamification to education for patients, healthcare professionals and pharmaceutical industry professionals. AR & VR thus improve the memorization of often complex knowledge in the health domain.

But the potential of AR & VR goes beyond education. These technologies can accompany the user in his/her daily professional tasks to reduce the risk of error, improve ergonomics and gain in efficiency.

A fundamental point emerges from this observation. AR or VR technologies will not be imposed by a fashion phenomenon but by an undeniable utility for the user in the long term. The relevance of the content proposed by AR or VR will dictate the success of each product.

Applications in the healthcare area are still in an emerging period. It is therefore tempting to appreciate the trends observed in sectors that have adopted AR & VR for a longer period of time, such as the automotive and aviation industries. In these fields, companies with a long history of AR & VR experience benefit more than the latest adopters: early adopters benefit from more than double the efficiency of work processes compared to late adopters. The early adopters also benefit from a more than doubled improvement in employee productivity and safety. The complexity of work processes is also reduced by more than half.

Examples include remote expert assistance in solving a technical problem on car assembly lines, or predefined but live step-by-step wiring guidance of aircraft under construction.

Noteworthy, the potential of AR & VR is increased when interoperability between complementary software is offered to users.

For example, a home care nurse will appreciate being able to measure, precisely and without contact, the surface and depth of a chronic wound on a patient, using an augmented reality solution. This valuable information can be integrated into the patient's medical record. And during the next visit, the nurse will retrieve the old data via AR and compare it qualitatively and quantitatively with the day's data.

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AR & VR markets

The projections of the global VR market in the healthcare domain are all very promising, but the proposed values vary widely (by a factor of 20) depending on the study. Based on conservatory assumptions, the market of USD 337 million in 2020 is expected to reach at least USD 2.2 billion in 2027, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 30.7% over the period 2020-2027. Although the medical VR segment is not the main one, its growth potential is the highest given the wide spectrum of applications to be developed.

The healthcare AR market is expected to perform similarly. It is positioned in the 5th position of AR market share but its growth potential is the most promising of all.

Due to the simplicity of AR implementation tools, some studies consider that by 2030 the AR market in healthcare will have strongly surpassed (doubled?) that of VR. Currently, the AR market in healthcare appears to be about 150% of the VR market in healthcare.

The Asia-Pacific geographic area including the inevitable China represents the strongest market share growth. The technological boom so important in the region with the presence of many distributors and manufacturers of electronic components is also driven by a rapid implementation of the fifth generation of standards for mobile telephony (5G), particularly from 2019 in South Korea for a historic first.

The U.S. market remains the most innovative and buoyant with the presence of giants such as Microsoft Corp, Apple, Inc. and Google LLC.

Europe is considered an attractive area given its large population of video game users who are now coming of age and readily embracing the world of virtual reality in their professional activities.

From a VR & AR research perspective, meta-analyses of publications identify the US and UK as the top two contributors.

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Applications of AR & VR

Current technologies are still in a maturation phase. It is therefore necessary to keep a critical thinking towards existing or future products and services. This being said, the possibilities of relevant applications are numerous and the combination of experiences pushes the knowledge curve towards an exponential growth.

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VR and diagnosis

In the case of health alterations such as Alzheimer's disease, ophthalmic problems or schizophrenia, tests performed with a VR device can facilitate and standardize diagnosis. The opportunity for telemedicine diagnosis adds to the attractiveness of the technology.

For example, the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford and the Indian company Cognihab are active in these fields.

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AR and patient monitoring

As seen above, AR has the advantage of facilitating the daily activity of healthcare staff. Access to patient data is unified but the visualization can be personalized. Data availability is also not limited by space or time constraints.

In the event of memory loss, the AR could be used as a tool to remind the patient of forgotten elements and, for example, guide the person back home safely, while notifying family members.

For example, the French company Berger Levrault develops personalized solutions for the pharmaceutical industry.

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VR and pain management

Regarding pain management, VR seems to provide a strong capacity to divert the patient's attention. Neuroimaging studies have shown that areas of the brain involved in the sensory and emotional management of pain, i.e. thalamus, insula, anterior cingulate cortex, and primary and secondary somatosensory cortices, were activated.

Perhaps the most impressive case is that of burn victims where the simple change of dressings triggers particularly intense pain. Thanks to the distraction of the senses by immersing the patient in a virtual polar cold environment, the level of pain felt is drastically reduced. The first example of an anti-pain app was SnowWorld from the University of Washington HITLab in collaboration with Harborview Burn Center.

VR has also demonstrated its potential against acute or chronic pain following accidents, cancers, diabetic neuropathy or migraines.

Some people like to think of VR as a complement or even an alternative to opiate analgesics, whose addiction and misuse represent significant social issues.

For example, the American companies AppliedVR, Firsthand Technology and CognifiSense work in this pain management field at different levels of progress.

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VR and anxiety?

The flexibility of VR allows the user's environment conditions to be modulated to identify anxiety-triggering stimuli and gradually learn to control them physically and psychologically.

In the case of phobias, we have already noted that the confrontation of stressful situations is simplified by the use of VR. This is particularly attractive when treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, claustrophobia, arachnophobia and agoraphobia.

VR even seems to reduce the apprehension to seek psychological support.

However, VR should not be considered the only therapeutic approach. Sometimes VR can be combined with pharmacotherapy, the former targeting cognitive systems and the latter physiological systems. For other patients, breathing exercises or relaxation techniques using music, which are less onerous, are more than sufficient.

Immersive VR seems to be beneficial for autistic patients, by encouraging the learning of new skills through mimicry and by promoting interaction with the environment.

The attractiveness of VR in the fight against addictions is also appreciable. The technology offers the possibility to reproduce situations that lead to relapse and to educate the patient to control his/her behavior.?

An aid to psychoanalysis could be envisaged if we consider the possibility with VR of virtually going back in time to significant sequences of the patient's past life, of plunging the patient into dreams revealing the unconscious and of exploring the sequence of subsequent events.

For example, the Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT) at the University of Southern California has developed a program targeting PTSD.

The Blue Room immersive technology from the Institute of Neuroscience at Newcastle University (made available to the UK's NHS following its success) and that of the American company Floreo, Inc. focus on helping patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and related diagnoses.

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VR and motivation

The immersive capacity of VR increases patients' motivation, especially in adopting a more health-conscious lifestyle, as in the case of people seeking to change their eating habits and better regulate their eating problems, diabetes or obesity.

As an example, the Spanish company Psious from Barcelona offers different experiences.

Regarding support for patients at the end of life, the LOROS hospice in Leicester offered its residents the possibility to move around in a virtual park as early as 2017. Bedridden patients appreciated the possibility to escape in this way and believed in the realism of the experience yet virtual.

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AR and surgery

Augmented reality is becoming more and more important as an aid to surgery whereas virtual reality is more adapted to the preparatory phases of the intervention.

The advantages of AR during surgery are obvious. Thanks to the interactive headset and the appropriate software, the anesthesiologist has the possibility to access the patient's data without any risk of contamination of the latter thanks to voice and gesture commands. He/She can carry out his/her activity while reducing the risk of dosage errors and adjusting his/her schedule in real time to the needs of the moment.

For his/her part, the surgeon visualizes in 3D overlay on the patient the inside of the area to be operated on as well as additional information for the smooth running of the operating protocol. This implies an upstream planning of the data collection through MRI, X-rays, complete blood count and other analyses according to the case.

The world premiere using AR took place on 05 December 2017 at Avicenne Hospital in Bobigny, Assistance publique-H?pitaux de Paris, France. It was a shoulder prosthesis surgery, under the direction of Dr. Thomas Grégory, head of the orthopedic and traumatological surgery department.

On this occasion, the Microsoft HoloLens smart glasses were used for the possibility of judiciously appreciating in 3D the precise thickness of the tissues, the location of the organs of interest as well as the path of the surrounding nerves and blood vessels. This technology allowed a safer and faster surgical procedure, which could only be an advantage for the patient.

The feedback from this experience identified areas for improvement, such as the need to better adjust the superimposition of virtual images on the body of the person being operated on. The goal was to follow the patient's movements, even the smallest ones, during breathing or to adapt to the deformations of the tissue after an operation, such as an incision.

Thanks to these tests, today's technologies have become much more accurate.

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VR and rehabilitation

Stroke patients can benefit from immersive rehabilitation sessions following increasingly complex scenarios, with or without the presence of virtual characters.

In other cases, patients recovering from limb injuries can benefit from home rehabilitation sessions to stimulate muscle activity and motor skills.

As an example, the U.S. XRHealth offers AR and VR technologies for telehealth at home. The patient receives a VR headset and follows rehabilitation exercises under the supervision of certified therapists.

In a similar way, the Swiss MindMaze and French Covirtua Healthcare offer post-stroke rehabilitation solutions.

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VR and education

Virtual experience makes teaching more game-friendly and attractive, whether in initial training or in subsequent continuing education. The scenarios can be replayed as desired and the methodology is standardized, particularly during examinations or teaching at several isolated sites.

The patient benefits directly, as the surgical risk has been shown to be significantly reduced.

In other cases, it is a matter of learning how to better interact with patients and other members of the health care team.

Finally, the physiological and pharmacological mechanisms will become more tangible through the immersive experience.

Pharmacists, midwives, nurses and other specialists are also interested in this type of training.

However, these technologies must not be overly special effects or complex information access, which could distract users from the educational goal.

As an example, the first surgery broadcast by 360° technology took place on April 14, 2016 at the Royal London hospital under the direction of Dr. Shafi Ahmed. It allowed a large number of students to follow the tumor tissue resection procedure without crowding the operating room. The immersive system was available on Medical Realities' VR in OR app, with support from Mativision.

More recently, GlobalVision Communication sàrl collaborated with the University Hospitals of Geneva (HUG), Switzerland to present some of its buildings and activities in 360°.

In the USA, ImmersiveTouch, Orca Health and Osso VR offer methods for both students and professionals.

For technical staff, VR offers the possibility of validating practical certifications on expensive and widely used devices such as MRIs. Thus, skill maintenance is ensured without having these devices tied up solely for training sessions. More patients can benefit from access to the machines.

Regarding corporate training, the Spanish company Gamelearn offers serious game-based learning platforms.

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VR and public awareness

The immersion in VR allows any user to discover another point of view. Thus, it is possible to get close enough to the feeling of a person suffering from a disabling disease such as glaucoma or diabetic retinopathy. This experience can easily trigger a feeling of empathy towards the patients. The user, whether he or she is an at-risk person, a healthcare professional or any other human being, will then be more inclined to apply good practices to fight the disease. Moreover, he/she will probably respect more his/her fellow human beings more affected.

As an example, Autismity, a division of the Slovakian non-governmental organization SPOSA, allows to experience the feeling of an autistic person.

KOVR of the Canadian video production group KO Group proposes the Stratos platform on Diabetic Retinopathy.

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VR and drug discovery

80% of potential therapeutic targets are not exploited, yet they represent potential avenues for the development of new therapies.

In order to better appreciate their potential, a 3D view (and not 2D) of molecular structures is a definite advantage. Seeing these structures allows to better identify which ligand is most likely to bind to them and from this ligand it is possible to extrapolate the active principle of a future drug.

VR and its 3D environment can thus provide an aid to pharmacological modeling, the modeling of the optimal active principle.

To take a concrete case, let's consider antibiotic-resistant bacteria. These bacteria have mutated and their mutation has changed the conformation of the antibiotic binding site. The latter can then not fulfill its function. It is necessary to visualize the different changes in the binding site to define which new criteria must be met in order to develop a new drug capable of remaining bound to resistant bacteria.

As an example, the British company C4X Discovery has developed 4Sight, which allows to visualize in VR the structure of complex molecules but also to design new drugs. C4XD collaborates with the pharmaceutical company Indivior in the field of addiction.

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AR and drug manufacturing

Drug manufacturing is a highly regulated activity. As a result, collaborators appreciate the support of AR to ensure that protocols are properly followed and data is correctly archived.

These technologies bring just-in-time production with live technical support. In addition, based on stock and automatically identified needs, AR can facilitate instant (or anticipated) ordering of consumables from predefined suppliers.

From the employer's point of view, productivity gains and fewer errors are major benefits.

It is also worth noting that AR allows a non-expert collaborator quickly perform the right gesture and protocol. The financial gain is significant for the company.

In the case of the construction of a new production center, a proactive strategy can consist of training the personnel via VR before the work is completed. When the building is certified, employees will immediately know how to move around and perform drug manufacturing protocols.

As for the obligation of continuing education, it is better managed and its costs are better controlled thanks to the combination of AR and VR. Learning time can sometimes be reduced by half.

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VR and clinical trials

An important element of successful clinical trials is the adherence of volunteers to the medical protocol until the end of the study. In this context, VR allows to:

• Convince the volunteers of the validity of the protocol,
• Remind them of the actions to be taken throughout the study,
• Identify possible deviations, and
• Ensure that the protocol is properly followed.

As in previous approaches, artificial intelligence and machine learning will complement the VR technology by providing valuable additional information on diet, physical activity, existing medication, and family history, among other things. This combination of data will have the potential to yield more accurate information on the efficacy of the drug candidate.

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VR and pharmaceutical marketing communications

The COVID-19 crisis stimulated the online symposia offer and the pharmaceutical industry had to adapt to offer a new attractiveness of its offerings. VR was the obvious choice.

However, the novelty quickly wore off and the majority of physicians indicated that they were looking for targeted information. Once again, VR met expectations by allowing the mechanisms of action of drugs to be presented in an immersive manner. It is now standard to propose an animation for each product launch.

Drug promotion is therefore shifting towards a focus on the targeted disease and it highlights the therapeutic benefits for the patient via the description of the modulated mechanisms of action. The "dryness" of science is energized by the VR experience and a storytelling composed of relevant messages.

Traditional marketing is giving way to increasingly personalized communication in both form and content. And VR is an attractive option in this context.

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Conclusion

This non-exhaustive assessment of the potential of AR & VR shows that beyond the hype there is a wide range of possible applications. Some are already available, while many are still in the project stage. In any case, the scope of improvements and evolutions is immense. Nevertheless, it is important to keep in mind that the return on investment is expected in the longer term.

As previously indicated, AR & VR technologies will not be imposed by a fashion phenomenon but by an undeniable utility for the user in the long term. The relevance of the content proposed by AR or VR will dictate the success of each product.

And the power of empathy generated by these methods is an attractive subject in our very social human society.

The relevance of the content proposed by AR or VR will dictate the success of each product

This new technological revolution opens the way to other highly anticipated metamorphoses in a perhaps distant future, such as the direct communication of electronic devices with signals emitted by the brain.

Thus AR & VR contribute, along with other innovations, to shaping a new historical phase in healthcare. This change requires many skills that go beyond the capabilities of a single human being.

Working in multidisciplinary teams is becoming the norm in every company. However, it is not enough, the need for reactivity and creativity pushes companies to privilege strategic partnerships between them; the sharing of risks and the pooling of complementary knowledge increases the opportunities on the one hand and the probability of success on the other hand.

For more information on the subject, please don’t hesitate to click on the following link in order to read my article:??"Partnering in The Pharma Industry: Is It Worthwhile?"

About the author

Mathurin Baquié, PhD, is an expert in Strategic Partnering. His professional activities cover global project management from R&D to Business Development in the Biotech, CDMO, CRO, Medtech and Pharma fields. He relies on 10 years of experience in the biotech management and consulting environments with triple expertise in Biomedical Sciences, Law and Business Development. He shares with great pleasure and ex gratia his knowledge through this article, without any malicious intent against anyone.

For more information on the author : www.dhirubhai.net/in/mathurin-baquie

Conflicts of interest

The author has NO affiliations with or involvement in any above-cited organization or entity with any financial interest, or non-financial interest in the subject matter or materials discussed in this article.

Disclaimer

All the information provided in this article are strictly for informational purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for advice from a professional even if the author is himself an expert on the subject. The information provided in this article cannot be used to take a decision of any kind. This article contains general information about the life sciences industry, the pharmaceutical industry and the healthcare industry in their broadest sense. The information is not an advice, and should not be treated as such. Any information in this article is provided “as is” without any representations or warranties, express or implied.