What is the future of hospital pharmaceutical technologies ?

Even though it is always difficult to predict the future, it is clear that the extremely rapid evolution of oncology treatments will have a significant impact on pharmaceutical technology activities in hospitals. Precision oncology uses biological data from tumors and artificial intelligence to offer personalized therapies that include, among other things, immunotherapy strategies. In oncology and other therapeutic areas, advanced therapy medicinal products present medical, organizational, and economic challenges. Hospitals are also facing difficulties in the field of human resources, linked to shortages of healthcare and pharmaceutical staff, as well as changing expectations from new generations.
To continue achieving their objectives, pharmaceutical technology activities will need to evolve in several areas:
* Professionals’ skills will need to incorporate the new requirements related to advanced therapy medicinal products, and educational formats will need to evolve towards active learning through simulation and game-based learning ;
* Production infrastructures will need to anticipate new needs in terms of cleanrooms, as well as storage spaces and conditions (e.g., freezing) ;
* New technologies (robotization, 3D printing, artificial intelligence) will need to be integrated, with the aim of improving the quality and safety of preparations, as well as processes efficiency ;
* Finally, management challenges will be significant in attracting and retaining pharmaceutical staff, by offering leadership that promotes a good quality of life.
In summary, the future of hospital pharmaceutical technologies promises to be bright, as clinical needs will only increase and become more specialized, but evolutions will be necessary to address the challenges mentioned above. Success will require careful anticipation of the future, adapting our infrastructures and training, integrating new technologies, intelligently using artificial intelligence, and developing a management that is suited to new generations. The future will be human-centered, supported by robots and artificial intelligence.

Conflict of interest: nothing to disclose