GILEAD: Healthcare Technology in Tomorrowland

The Covid-19 pandemic led to a multi-level reset of the way we were thinking and operating. Technology, in general, acted as a catalyst that enabled us to survive the public health mayhem and maintain some normalcy in our daily relationships and tasks by preserving continued access to long-term care for chronic conditions. And it was breakthrough medical innovation and biotechnology that rushed to the rescue, developing and delivering vaccines and treatments to fight the pandemic. These achievements were neither chance nor overnight successes. They were delivered on the backbone of persistent, consistent, and resource-drenching R&D that has been seeking to identify and resolve major defined or – yet – unidentified challenges in individual and population health.

Powered by R&D, the innovative pharmaceutical industry spearheads tomorrow to offer faster, more cost-effective, and patient-centered care today. Prevention and earlier detection of non-communicable diseases is enabled through AI and machine learning algorithms with predictive value. Post-diagnosis, personalized healthcare customizes therapeutic options to the specific genetic or epigenetic patient profile to optimize clinical outcomes. Cell therapies turn patients’ own cells into fighters of rare diseases and offer prospects of cure in areas of care where unmet need has been consistently extremely high and the toll on public health particularly grave. Big Data offer real-world evidence of health interventions’ effectiveness and inform further customization and support decisionmaking by the health system through optimizing allocative efficiency and creating a case for attracting additional investments in health.

Is this Tomorrowland? No. It is today – the day the innovative pharmaceutical industry is working to deliver solutions for whatever tomorrow may hold.