C Change: Integrated IT support will help decision-making

CAIRO: Information technology must be an integral part in providing health system solutions rather than just selling drugs, according to KG Ananthkrishnan, senior director, Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer.

The goal is to develop a health system solution, he said while addressing CIOs of top Indian enterprises at the CIOL C Change event being held here.

IPR implementation will transform the way the pharma industry works in the next 10 years, said Ananthkrishnan. As customer needs change, the challenge lies in integrating disparate IT systems to deliver value to the customer.

Evidence-based medicine is fast gaining ground, especially in legal cases. In the US, evidence-based cases account for 45 percent of the practice. India is just talking about it and IT can play a big role in it, he said.

By 2009 —2010, pharma's changing business dynamics will transform it from intra-molecular to inter-molecular -- there will be a lot of consolidation, handling of KOL and key account management, and corporate hospitals.

IT needs to be a strategic business partner, and simplify information availability, said Ananthkrishnan. “Simply providing data has limited value. It has to be converted to information to help in decision-making,” he said.

IT can facilitate the large strategic direction of functions such as retailing and Internet capabilities by standardizing processes and tools to improve competitiveness.

Ananthakrishnan suggested that an integrated IT support will aid in decision-making. “We tend to operate in silos. It has to partner with business to understand the business, only then will it understand the business requirements and align itself to organizational goals,” he added.

He also said that technology must increase system effectives. Providing the prescriber (the doctor) with the right message at the right time and frequency is key to sales force effectiveness.

“Today, within our organization, there are systems for learning, development, reporting sales; But they are all disparate...can IT be used to integrate it for more important decision making,” he asked.

Ananthakrishnan expected the IT department to spend time in understanding internal and external market needs, involve in strategic business planning process and suggest systems and tools for proactive thinking on the part of the business.