How Digital Twins Can Revolutionize Pharma

Could digital twins permanently change the pharmaceutical sector? While this cutting-edge technology already has applications in the clinical and drug production fields, it needs to be utilized more. Here’s how industry professionals can use this revolutionary technology.

What Is a Digital Twin?

A digital twin is a virtual replica of a physical object, individual, system or process. It replicates the asset’s form, features and functionality to produce a digitalized, three-dimensional copy that is basically indistinguishable from its real-world counterpart.

The main components of a digital twin include hardware, middleware and software. Telemetry devices or internet-connected sensors attached to the asset collect data on its characteristics, state, operations and performance. A computing infrastructure processes that information and sends it to a modeling or simulation tool where a 1-to-1 ratio virtual replica is built. 

Two-way communication is the central aspect that sets digital twins apart from standard simulations. The copy and original exchange data in real time or near-real time, ensuring both remain up to date. This synchronization enables team leaders to make accurate decisions. 

The Benefits of Implementing Digital Twin Technology

A 1-to-1 ratio virtual replica to monitor or run simulations on is highly beneficial. For one, a centralized system eliminates the data silos that come from using disparate storage systems. Since the copy and its real-world counterpart share information, decision-makers only need to access the central dashboard or database to see all the relevant details. 

Whether pharmaceutical professionals use their digital copy in clinical trials, drug testing or demand forecasting, having data-driven insights can streamline their administrative processes. They can increase their uptime and accelerate their time to completion, enabling them to prioritize other high-value tasks. 

How the Pharmaceutical Sector Is Using Digital Twins

Numerous uses for digital twins in the pharmaceutical industry already exist:

1. Anticipate and Prevent Drug Shortages

Drug shortages adversely affect profitability and can worsen patient outcomes, so they should be avoided at all costs. With digital twin technology, drugmakers, distributors and suppliers can jointly track trends to adjust production and accommodate changes in demand.

2. Accelerate the Drug Discovery Process

On average, the process of going from drug discovery to approval takes approximately 10 years and costs about $2.6 billion. Digital twins let pharmaceutical companies simulate how potential compounds react to patients before synthesizing them in a lab and testing them in clinical trials, accelerating the entire process. Notably, this method improves safety and efficacy.

3. Minimize Delays During Clinical Trials

Clinical trial delays can adversely impact a study’s budget and timeline. Practitioners who use virtual replicas to track participants’ well-being and clinical trajectory can improve retention and meet their deadlines. This way, they save resources and reduce their test’s scope. 

4. Optimize the Drug Production Process

Since drug production is so meticulous, a digital copy is an ideal asset. Whether it’s used in production to track critical attributes or in quality control for comparisons, product managers can ensure every batch comes out exactly as it should. Ultimately, it can substantially accelerate their time-to-market.

Potential Use Cases for Digital Twins

There are several implementation possibilities for digital twin technology in the pharmaceutical sector:

1. Increase the Cold Chain’s Resilience

Drug products must be kept at a specific temperature, so delays and equipment malfunctions are often financially detrimental. Fleet managers and suppliers using digital twins for end-to-end supply chain visibility can anticipate and prevent these disruptions. Data on traffic congestion, fuel consumption and driver behavior can mitigate cold chain losses. 

2. Make Drug Pricing More Dynamic

Most companies adjust their prescription drug prices around the same time each year. From 2022 to 2023, price changes varied from a 99% decrease to a more than 3,000% increase. Sudden sticker shock can have unintended effects on demand and consumer receptiveness. 

Drug manufacturers can use a virtual replica to track a drug’s performance, availability and cost, among other metrics, to forecast demand and see how willing people are to pay. Instead of drastically changing prices once yearly, drugmakers can adjust continuously. 

The Transformative Power of Digital Twin Technology 

Digital twins were designed to be easily understood and better than conventional simulations. Seeing a visualization of data in real time could be transformative for the pharmaceutical sector. If this technology makes it through the regulatory and bureaucratic hoops, it could permanently change how industry professionals work.