Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing healthcare and pharma in numerous ways. At a recent meeting of the Leiden AI Community hosted at Datapebbles offices, AI in life sciences took center stage. Gurbe Scheenstra discussed how OKRA.ai, part of the Envision Pharma Group, is creating AI-driven solutions that help pharmaceutical companies quickly gain insights from critical engagement data.
During his talk, Gurbe Scheenstra explained the unique challenges of the pharmaceutical industry, characterized by high risks and potentially high rewards. Pharma companies face intense pressure once their medicines are approved. They typically have about ten years to maximize profits from their patented drugs before generic alternatives become available. OKRA.ai addresses this challenge by enhancing how pharmaceutical companies engage with healthcare professionals, improving efficiency and effectiveness during this crucial sales period.
A key focus for OKRA.ai is supporting so called medical science liaisons MSLs), who play an important educational role with doctors. Unlike traditional sales representatives, MSLs do not have direct sales targets. Instead, they focus on building trusted relationships with doctors and educating them on the science behind new treatments. These interactions generate massive amounts of data, ranging from detailed meeting notes to conference presentations and CRM records.
Key trends
Traditionally, analyzing such extensive data would take months and involve labor-intensive manual reviews. Scheenstra demonstrated how OKRA.ai significantly streamlines this process using advanced NLP and machine learning techniques. The company’s AI tools quickly analyze structured and unstructured data, identifying key trends, sentiment (positive, negative, or neutral), geographical differences, and emerging issues in mere days.
To illustrate the practical impact of OKRA.ai’s solutions, Gurbe shared an example involving a breast cancer drug. Doctors were initially skeptical about the effectiveness of the medication. OKRA.ai’s AI platform identified the root cause of the skepticism as confusion over dosage instructions. The recommended dosage was one tablet, but the analysis indicated that two tablets significantly improved patient outcomes. Clarifying this simple adjustment led to greater adoption and improved treatment effectiveness.
Medical datasets
He also showcased OKRA.ai’s latest innovation—a specialized generative AI platform resembling a tailored version of ChatGPT. This new tool allows pharma clients to intuitively ask questions about vast medical datasets, receiving immediate and actionable insights. Scheenstra said this intuitive interface drastically improves decision-making speed and reduces barriers to leveraging complex data.
He expects the pharmaceutical industry to increasingly adopt advanced multi-agent AI systems capable of automated interactions. However, he emphasized that technology alone is not enough. Successful integration of AI requires careful attention to workflow design, change management, and user trust. OKRA.ai addresses these challenges through extensive onboarding and training programs, ensuring that teams fully embrace and trust AI-driven insights.
