SUPPLY CHAIN
THE FUTURE OF PHARMA : PERSONALISED HEALTHCARE
Chris Easton , Global Commercial Lead at Takeda , tells us how the pharmaceutical sector can help deliver more personalised care
WRITTEN BY : LEILA HAWKINS
Ever since the very first healthcare systems were created , the earliest documented being in ancient Egypt , medical professionals have had a reactionary approach to finding cures for ailments . That is to say that a solution is sought after someone has become sick , using whatever methods were thought to work at the time . Thousands of years later , with advances in genomics and molecular modelling , emphasis is starting to shift towards preventative , personalised healthcare rather than " sick care ".
This move is led by data analytics as well as genetic sequencing to inform decisionmaking , which can ultimately lead to more individualised care . " Identifying the right data will support personalised health outcomes ", explains Chris Easton , who is Takeda ’ s Senior Director and Global Commercial Lead , specialising in personalised health and innovation and applying this to rare blood disorders . " It ' s about how we can empower patients , interpret data and then apply it ."
" The historic pharma model , in a very simplified form , is : a patient has symptoms , gets diagnosed , and gets given drugs for symptoms ", Easton says . " Now , with holistic patient care in mind , it ' s much more about the additional components to care that would make a difference . Yes , drug therapy is one of them , but likewise , it ' s okay to talk about mental health , as the impact of chronic diseases means often there is a mental health challenge . So what can we do to build a mental health and physical health support package , both of which have data associated with them , that we can use together ?"
By way of example , Easton cites the approach taken by elite athletes and astronauts . " Their model is to keep as healthy as possible . If someone on a space mission gets a cold , they ' re off the mission – it ' s
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