In 2020, pharma companies were forced to pivot to digital-first business models in a rapid turnaround. In just a few months, companies accelerated digitization by three to four years and accelerated the share of digital or digitally enabled products by seven years. In the end, many accomplished more than they thought possible, and established a new standard for connecting patients with trusted health care guidance. But as the digital-first approach gained traction, many leaders are now wondering “will this technology scale?”

Why should we scale?
Every business has a different growth trajectory. But in today’s digital first environment, where all searches start online and require technology to compete, any platform that is limited in its reach and scope will soon become a roadblock to future success. Scaling encompasses various types of growth and must continually advance and grow to meet complex needs of an ever-changing healthcare industry. To stay competitive, deliver a best-in-class experience, and yield greater returns, scalability must include changes to workflows, governance, supporting technology and even security needs. This makes the question of scalability more complex.

Scaling for sophistication
Businesses that want to grow faster need more than basic scalability to just support an increase in volume. They need scalability that supports increased complexity and sophistication, integration with new technology and accelerated speed to market. For pharma organization, this consideration is paramount to patient engagement and long-term success with a digital platform.

Vendors need to understand the complexity of use cases, changes in regulations, variations in delivery, and many other elements that can create complexity. Medisafe’s Maestro solution enables pharma leaders to navigate through these sophisticated use cases and design support programs that truly fit individual brand needs, and scale to support various patient engagement channels.

Scaling for interoperability
A single business unit or small company can often communicate and collaborate through informal channels, but there comes a point when those channels are no longer effective. In today’s digital environment, capturing a full picture of patient health requires greater connectivity and interoperability. This means the ability to plug in to existing systems, deliver greater insight for pharma, payers, providers, and care teams, and support faster delivery.

Operating on a global scale introduces even more challenges including translation, localization, currency, legal and regulatory requirements, download speed and reliability. Successful digital technology needs to scale from a single team to a global enterprise to keep teams connected and provide brand consistency to deliver seamless digital experiences. It needs to support diverse business cases across multiple teams — not just one use case, or multiple cases in a single business unit.

Scaling to support exponential growth
Growth, especially rapid growth, can come with a steep learning curve and a few growing pains.For pharma organizations, launching a new drug, or expanding its use to multiple patients, requires a digital partner that can scale for exponential growth. An experienced technology partner should be able to help navigate these challenges and align the right resources to ensure seamless growth. As capabilities expand, so too does the need for support in data security, system regulations, and compliance in support of a pharma partner. The right technology partner will be able to deliver an enterprise-ready solution from the beginning to avoid missteps and expensive retooling later.

Digital solutions for pharma can often be an uncertain game, unaware of what rapid growth will entail until embarking on the journey. But experienced technology partners can help smooth the way. Medisafe makes it easier for pharma to scale their digital patient engagement programs as growth plans align with patient needs throughout their treatment journey. Savvy pharma leaders should opt for a technology platform that can scale from a single brand to an enterprise-wide system that can power hundreds of digital experiences.