Pharmaceutical companies realized a long time ago that the sale of traditional medicines will not only increase production and even maintain competition. This radical change, known as "beyond the pill," usually results from one or two facts:

 (1) Medicines alone are not sufficient to achieve desired clinical outcomes for patients and

(2) As pharmaceutical pipelines dry up, the "pill" business can be a valuable new source of revenue. This growing interest has created ways to use new technologies and business processes to develop and care for patients, leading to  Pharma IoT  .

The Pharma IoT concept   involves digitizing medical products and related care processes using connected smart medical devices and IT services (web, mobile, apps, etc.) during drug development, clinical trials, and patient care. The results of Pharma IOT drugs   in advanced and clinical trials can use a combination of advanced technologies and services to create new types of disease treatment possibilities (including treatment 2.0).

In patient care,  Pharma IoT  enables patients and healthcare professionals to use medicines with advanced sensor hardware and personal care services and professional processes (Product 2.0). Good examples of Pharma IoT solutions  are connected sensor pods for Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis patients that provide medication management, improved patient outcomes and quality of life.

In addition, existing medical device products such as analyzers and insulin pens can be added to sensor and connectivity technology to collect data for further care analysis and even treatment personalization. All of this will significantly improve personalized processes and personalized care, as patient care data provides new sources of innovation and competition.

This evolution also includes some challenges: at the same time, pharmaceutical companies must pay attention to the European Union  (EU)  data protection and privacy laws that patients can control their care information. For example, patients are allowed to transfer their health and care data among different service providers, leading to the emergence of new types of service platforms and business models, such as data brokers.