• Posted On: May 15, 2025
• Posted By: Saurabh Bhatia

Introduction

Pharma companies are facing a data-driven revolution, with digital innovation and analytics rapidly transforming how they operate and engage with stakeholders. According to a McKinsey report, by 2025, organizations that effectively combine, analyze, and interpret disparate datasets will be best positioned to elevate performance and optimize outcomes for both patients and physicians¹. Another McKinsey survey highlights that the winners in this evolving landscape will be those who harness advanced analytics and real-world evidence to inform every interaction and decision.

Challenges in Pharma Operations

Pharma companies are grappling with a rapidly evolving landscape that demands smarter, more agile operations. Here are the key challenges-and what could be done to address them:

• Fragmented Data Ecosystems:
  Most organizations still operate with data scattered across CRM systems, EHRs, marketing platforms, and external sources. This fragmentation makes it difficult to generate a unified, actionable view of HCPs. By investing in robust data integration and cloud-based platforms, pharma could lay the groundwork for more intelligent engagement.

• Lack of Personalization and Relevance:
  HCPs are inundated with generic, repetitive communications that fail to address their specific needs or preferences. Companies could deploy advanced analytics and AI-driven content engines to tailor messaging, ensuring each interaction is timely, relevant, and valuable.
• Inefficient Resource Allocation:
  Sales and medical field teams often spend significant time on administrative tasks or low-value activities, reducing their impact. By adopting AI-powered prioritization and route optimization techniques proven in logistics and retail-pharma could ensure that resources are focused where they matter most.
• Compliance and Regulatory Complexity:
  With strict regulations governing every interaction, the risk of non-compliance is ever-present. Real-time compliance monitoring and anomaly detection, inspired by financial services and cybersecurity, could help pharma proactively identify and mitigate risks.
• Siloed Operations and Slow Decision-Making:
  Disconnected teams and manual processes slow down response times and hinder agility. By embracing cross-functional collaboration tools and intelligent automation, companies could accelerate decision-making and adapt faster to market changes.

According to a recent industry study, by 2027, 83% of HCP engagements are expected to be orchestrated by AI-driven NBA platforms. This underscores the urgency for pharma to address these challenges and modernize their operations.

What is Next Best Action?

With HCPs flooded with multiple messages & change in the pharma landscape, a data driven & ML/AI led Next Best Action (NBA) approach is the way ahead. NBA enables the sales & marketing teams to reach HCPs through the right channel, with the right frequency & with correct content. This would increase the promotional impact of the teams, thus enhancing the efficacy of their efforts.

How does Next Best Action work?

NBAs leverage distinct & large amounts of data to recommend individual HCP-centric content & channels based on past interactions. Using advanced analytics, NBA engine identifies patterns & insights to recommend the best channel to reach out to the HCP. Along with the channel recommendation, the engine would also recommend optimal time to send corporate emails & notify field teams using automated platforms. Along with these recommendations, the NBA would also offer rationale for suggested channels, thus instilling confidence into sales & marketing operations.

How can NBA solution help?

1. Personalized Marketing Content – Moving away from a generalized targeting strategy, NBA leverages advanced analytics & data to identify best action for each HCP target. This personalization aspect would lead to HCPs being more receptive to the marketing activity
2. Improved coordination – Sales & marketing teams need to work in harmony, rather than working in silos. With the NBA engine, sales teams would be informed of a corporate email or a centralized marketing effort, thus doing away with disorganization & impersonal communication methodology
3. NBA based HCP Segmentation – HCP segmentation based on NBA recommendations would enable tailored messaging & personalization in communication to HCPs.
4. Improved RoI – With decreased costs due to optimal marketing & de-duplication of efforts & resulting prescription lift, NBA could go a long way in increasing the RoI of promotional efforts.

The NBA Framework: Crawl, Walk, Run

Pharma companies are increasingly adopting a “Crawl, Walk, run” approach to NBA implementation, ensuring scalable, sustainable transformation while learning from other industries’ best practices.

Crawl: Laying the AI Foundation

• Pilot Programs:
  Organizations begin with focused NBA pilots in select brands or channels. These pilots use foundational AI models and rule-based recommendations, providing early insights into engagement improvements and operational bottlenecks.
• Building Unified Data Repositories:
  The initial phase includes integrating prescription, engagement, and third-party data into a single source of truth, reducing manual data prep and enabling more advanced analytics.

Walk: Scaling Intelligent Orchestration

• Multichannel Integration:
  As capabilities mature, companies expand NBA to multiple brands and channels, integrating digital, in-person, and virtual touchpoints. AI-driven orchestration, inspired by retail and customer service, routes HCPs to the most effective engagement channels.
• Predictive Analytics:
  Predictive models, like those used in manufacturing and supply chain optimization, anticipate HCP needs and knowledge gaps, triggering timely, personalized outreach.

Run: Enterprise-Wide Autonomy

• Agentic AI Systems:
  At this stage, companies deploy autonomous AI agents capable of scheduling, personalizing, and optimizing interactions in real time. These systems continuously learn from engagement data and adjust strategies without manual intervention, mirroring advancements in autonomous marketing and customer service.
• Self-Optimizing Campaigns:
  Drawing from digital advertising best practices, AI reallocates resources across channels based on real-time performance, ensuring optimal ROI and compliance.

The Future Playbook

Pharma companies are not just adopting NBA-they are evolving their operating models by integrating agentic AI and learning from sectors like retail, logistics, and cybersecurity. Hybrid human-AI teams, real-time compliance audits, and quantum-ready analytics are all on the horizon. According to McKinsey, organizations that lead in advanced analytics and digital transformation will set the standard for value and patient outcomes by 2025.¹

By following a structured, phased approach and embracing cross-industry innovation, pharma organizations can unlock the full potential of NBA-delivering smarter engagement, improved compliance, and a competitive edge in the digital era.