IoT in the Pharmaceutical Industry: Use Case
Published: 2024-06-12 10:24:00

The Internet of Things is massively transforming industries, and the pharmaceutical industry is not untouched. 
If done correctly, [IoT app development services](https://successive.tech/iot-app-development-company/?utm_source=Micro+Blog&utm_medium=dev.to&utm_campaign=SEO+WORK+2) bring automation into every manual process within the industry.
Life science and pharma organizations stand to benefit the most from leveraging IoT capabilities. The Internet of Things (IoT) can streamline both clinical and non-clinical processes in areas like:

- Operations (e.g. sales, marketing, manufacturing, transport, supply monitoring)
- Care (e.g. patient monitoring, experience, personalized healthcare, medication adherence)
- Regulatory compliance and reporting (including data security and record-keeping)

In this blog, we’ll understand the use cases of IoT in the pharmaceutical industry.

## Clinical Trial Management

Clinical trials are much more prone to costly failures due to their sensitive nature. Pharma IoT helps to avoid delays and streamline multiple stages of study design and execution and streamline the process, such as:

- Larger sample sizes for more robust data analysis.
- Increased patient retention and adherence.
- Fast communication between sites and sponsors.
- Easier adverse event reporting.

For example, some pharma companies use internet-connected mobile devices to collect biometric data remotely. Here, with the help of remote data collection, clinical trials take place in "real world" settings, allowing participants to go about their daily lives with minimal disruption. These adaptive, or even totally virtual, trial designs make it easier for patients to participate and increase the likelihood that they will complete the research.

## Manufacturing Optimization
As companies strive towards making healthcare more personal and customized, smaller-batch drug manufacturing is becoming cost-effective.
The entire pharma production is already heavily controlled and must comply with the regulations to ensure drug safety.
Since safety is highly paramount, the FDA demands continuous process verification, so most of what can be observed during manufacturing is already visible. However, much of the data generated by manufacturing processes is never used (Gartner estimates up to 70%). Even when information is accessible, the analysis is performed on historical rather than current data.
Manufacturing is already being considered for IoT implementation. 
Using sensorized manufacturing equipment integrated into an IoT application, pharma companies can monitor floor conditions continuously, alerting overseers the instant something's wrong, or maintenance is required.

## Supply Chain Logistics & Stock Monitoring
Pharma monitoring along the entire supply chain from drug discovery to its distribution is an essential element of adhering to regulatory compliance.
Furthermore, traceability is critical for protecting intellectual property and removing counterfeit medications from the market, as well as preventing human health risks by rapidly identifying the source in the event of recalls or other issues.
That's where IoT can come in.

- IoT-enabled packaging and labeling allow for continuous inventory tracking, identifying where things are created, how they are transported, and where they are.
- IoT-enabled sensors in the supply chain may monitor the local environment throughout the shipping and management cycle, ensuring product integrity while minimizing shipping times and costs.
- When the stock is in warehouse storage, IoT sensors may detect when supplies are running short, triggering refilling without manual intervention.

**Also read** [How IoT is Revolutionizing Mobile App Development](https://successive.tech/blog/how-iot-is-revolutionizing-mobile-app-development/?utm_source=Micro+Blog&utm_medium=dev.to&utm_campaign=SEO+WORK+2)

**Final Words**
As the Internet of Things becomes more widely used, life science organizations have a unique opportunity to digitize business processes, interact deeply across the organization, and monitor all systems and processes at unprecedented levels.
Pharmaceutical companies can contribute to current industry innovation by cooperating with an IoT app development company.
Despite pharma's reluctance to embrace evolving technology, it is critical to make agile changes and implement solutions employing information and analytics. Pharma businesses can considerably accelerate drug research and release by collaborating with a technical partner.