Precision Medicine

Precision medicine will lead the next two decades and is predicted to proliferate to most of the known diseases. These phenomena will go way beyond the traditional oncology target. With the fast ever, changing treatment trends, older detection and diagnostic methodologies to common diseases that are largely followed by mature, less often updated guidelines are not catching up. Communicable diseases following older guidelines, doctor routine behavior, and lack of technology and less precise detection and diagnostic tools lead the prescription behavior. Precision medicine is coming to age and is about to proliferate to numerous diseases beyond the conventional oncology gene expression targeted therapies. Surprisingly, with the current drugs arsenal, patients suffering from common diseases can get a tailor-made treatment that is adequate for their unique condition. Obesity, for example, is one of the areas in that physicians’ prescription behavior is more influenced by drug popularity or general clinical trials than patient-specific disease pathogenesis. As most of us are aware, patients suffering from obesity will get in most cases, Ozempic (Semaglutide) or Saxenda (Liraglutide), which work by regulating the GLP1 hormone that mediates the glucose secretion by binding to the GLP1 receptor and stimulate insulin production. This treatment path is suitable for patients suffering from insulin impairing and/or glucose abnormalities patients. Nevertheless, it is well known that obesity patients’ pathophysiology could derive from brain-related and/or various mental illnesses. It is manifest that patients following this category will merely benefit from the GLP1 treatment. Surprisingly, we are talking about over 50% of obese patients suffering from brain-related/mental health conditions that are poorly diagnosed and receive inferior treatment. By applying a precision medicine approach by combining AI and ML to the first detection and diagnostic, the patient can be on a proper drug or drugs combination that is tailor-made for his unique condition. SK-Pharma is working down the line by tackling numerous diseases, including obesity, where unmet needs and ancient practices are leading the market and creating a vacuum for applied innovation. ADHD is another segment where the trial and error approach has been used rapidly. In most cases, patients receive a short-acting methylphenidate agent, without a proper in-depth diagnosis. In some cases, the initial diagnosis will distinguish between short, medium, and long-acting Methylphenidate but won’t reach the level of INN tailoring to the unique patient conditions. In today's advanced world, numerous companies (e.g., Iluria) allow wearable devices (smart watches) to cluster patients based on capturing vital signals that can educate us on their condition. By measuring vital conditions and cross-referencing by AI to the patient medical record and other patient conditions, the physician can recommend the most prominent drug product that will drive maximal efficacy and safety. Other segments, such as psoriasis arthritis, offer numerous treatment options tailored to the patient's condition or gene expression, where more peculiar diagnostic could lead to enhanced treatment outcomes by choosing the correct drug candidate. Today more than ever a tailor-made treatment has become available, thanks to the revolution in artificial intelligence and machine learning utilization. The access to secure medical records and the rising trend between medical centers and technology companies lead to impactable findings. One of the most important extrapolations done with data is analyzing historical data as a learning set for the future decision-making process. Moreover, historical medical data allow the identification of clusters and patterns within a given data that could provide important insight into potential disease pathogenesis, etiology, and risk factors. Revealing this important information could lead to precision medicine with existing therapies and could pave the way for potential new drug developments with clear predefined targets. Pharmaceutical companies wanting to lead the first quartile should think innovatively and beyond the pill. Leveraging technology Is a great catalyst for success for many good reasons. A pharmaceutical company exploring extending its manufacturer capabilities, or a distribution company looking to expand or automate its storage line, must rethink its corporate development beyond their comfort zone. The focus should be establishing a robust technological department or even a separate technological company that could explore the landscape of opportunities that could synergistically enhance their existing business. In the next decade, the precision medicine sphere will be the leading growth catalyst for many pharmaceutical companies that will know to look beyond the pill. A combined holistic solution that is data and technology-driven will dramatically enhance the treatment outcome and the patient quality of life. Every patient is unique and has a specific genome that translates to a distinctive DNA signature and individual gene functioning condition. It is manifest that the treatment should consider as many unique factors as possible in delivering the optimal therapy. A pharmaceutical company should identify segments with high unmet needs, impaired detection, and diagnostic and phenotype insufficient treatment outcomes. The perception that this place is only reserved for innovative companies is incorrect mythos. Generic players and distribution companies could also make a bold move with their existing and pipeline drugs arsenal. Collaboration between detection and diagnostic companies, technological companies, and pharmaceutical players is vital for success. Preferably, the pharmaceutical company should take the lead and appoint a savvy expert to manage the orchestra toward their unique precision medicine solution. The endeavor for precision medicine should start today, so what are you waiting for? Dare to act if you are looking to grow your business into the next revolutionary decade in healthcare.?