Artificial intelligence can improve medicine, experts – Pakistan

The Pakistan Pharmaceuticals Manufacturers Association organized a workshop on the role of artificial intelligence in pharmaceuticals on Monday. The theme of the workshop was Future of Pharmacy, Better Pharmacy and Role of Artificial Intelligence in Personalized Medicine.

The workshop held at a local hotel was chaired by Sammy Kamlock, Head of AI and Digital at PwC Academy (Middle East). He is one of the most prominent voices in artificial intelligence on LinkedIn. The main objective of this workshop was to see to what extent artificial intelligence can be used in Pakistan’s pharma sector.

The workshop was attended by senior officials of the pharma industry. Speaking to the Business Recorder, Sammy Kamlock said that encouraging results can be achieved through artificial intelligence in the pharma sector as well as in many other sectors. He said that up to 40% time can be saved through artificial intelligence. Better performance can be ensured on the basis of data and other information available in the pharma sector. For this, timely decisions are necessary. The good performance of the pharma sector is also encouraging for healthcare professionals.

Kamlok identified Pakistan’s lack of strong pharma sector data sharing tradition as a major barrier to better performance. Currently, data sharing is very low in Pakistan. As a result, timely and quality decisions are not possible. He said that with artificial intelligence, manufacturers in the pharma sector can also reduce machine time, improve supply chain, better face new challenges. He said that the efficiency of equipment and machinery can be improved through artificial intelligence.

Artificial intelligence can be directly applied to sales for casting and manufacturing operations, Sammy Kamlock said. It is also necessary to collect relevant data at the national level and share it in a reasonable manner. Official health records can facilitate decision making in the future.

M. Haroon Qasim, former chairman of PPMA and managing director of PharmEvo, said that it is very important to stay in tune with the latest technological trends. He said that PPMA’s platform focuses on aligning professionals with the latest technologies including AI. Its aim is to increase and improve production. This will result in better marketing and exports. With the help of artificial intelligence, the quality of medicines can be enhanced, the supply chain can be improved and the overall efficiency of the entire pharma sector can be improved. Thus, Pakistan can be well prepared for the global market.

Haroon Qasim said that competition at the global level is possible only when the drugs are better and the cost is also reduced. He urged the government to support the pharma sector to enable large-scale exports. The ITT sector was allowed to retain a reasonable share of its revenue. If the same facility is given to the pharma sector, it can also perform very well.

Haroon Qasim says that with full attention and hard work, the exports of the FAMA sector can reach 2 to 5 billion dollars annually in the next five years. In this regard, there is a need for full support from the government at various levels. The pharma sector has to be given priority status so that it is able to expand the scope of trade relations with other countries. A major problem at present is that the State Bank allows us to retain only 15 percent of the export earnings. The pharma sector should be allowed to retain 35 percent of its export earnings. As a result, we will be able to go further and be better able to compete in the global market.

Dr. Qaiser Waheed, former chairman of PPMA, also emphasized the need to use the latest technologies to increase competitiveness. He said that organizations that do not adopt the digital revolution are left behind. The pharma sector must also stay on the path of artificial intelligence, robotics and digital transformation to remain competitive.

He said that the world has moved towards AI and nanotechnology. As a result, the quality of medicines has also increased and delivery has also improved.

PharmEvo Deputy CEO Syed Jamshed Ahmed said that artificial intelligence can play a key role in raising the quality of Pakistan’s healthcare system. The quality and graph of medical facilities in rural areas can be raised. He said that if someone has a heart attack in a remote district like Dadu, check-up and counseling are also easy through artificial intelligence. Thus many lives can be saved.

Syed Jamshed Ahmed said that there is a severe shortage of specialized medical professionals in Pakistan. There are only 200 to 250 neurologists for a population of 25 crores. AI can also help in diagnosis and prescribing medicine. Thus treatment can be made easier.

Sammy Kamlik explains in a LinkedIn post how artificial intelligence is changing the pharmaceutical industry. He said that along with raising the quality of medicines, the supply chain can also be improved and the profile of personalized medicine can also be raised. Artificial intelligence is also playing a key role in patient identification. Artificial intelligence is very important in developing new medicines and improving the quality of treatment. Artificial intelligence also helps a lot in the preparation of special medicine or medicines based on the genetic record of any patient.

He also explained the role of artificial intelligence in drug trials and patient data collection. It also reduces cost and improves quality. In this case, wastage of raw material can also be well prevented.

Semi Kamalok is optimistic about the positive outcomes of artificial intelligence, but also warns of potential ethical challenges. Artificial intelligence also raises important questions about data privacy and algorithmic bias or neutrality, he says. It is important to ensure that the use of artificial intelligence is ethically correct in order to maintain patient trust and a sense of responsibility.