The pharmaceutical sector in Catalonia is increasingly relying on artificial intelligence in areas such as R&D, manufacturing, distribution, and marketing of products. This shift has led companies to seek out new professional profiles such as health data scientists, biomedical engineers, and bioinformaticians, among others.
According to Isabel Echevarría, Life Science & Chemical Associate Director at Catenon, “Barcelona province alone, as recognized by Farmaindustria, houses 46% of all plants in Spain, employing nearly 16,000 workers in the sector and manufacturing 60% of pharmaceutical products. It is a truly important ecosystem with universities, research centers, hospitals, national and international companies, funds, and start-ups, constituting the main hub and pharmaceutical cluster of the industry. The Catalan healthcare system is already working hard to develop and implement AI solutions to predict and prevent health problems. It has even created the Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicines (CIAM) which aims to create an AI-based solution to provide validated and reliable information to citizens about drugs, as well as address any possible doubts about pharmacological treatments. All of this is driving a high demand and search for professionals in this field globally, profiles that are scarce in an endogamous sector, thus requiring talent acquisition from other sectors or countries.”
Applications of AI in Catalonia’s pharmaceutical sector include the discovery and development of new drugs through the analysis of large datasets and molecular patterns; improvement in diagnoses and personalized treatments based on patient data and tests; optimization of clinical trials by speeding up patient recruitment processes and reducing potentially failed trials; enhancement in drug adherence and dosing through the prediction of absorption of new compounds and monitoring of medication use; repurposing of drugs for other pathologies; and the development of cures for complex diseases and treatment of rare diseases through the analysis of vast amounts of data.
In the manufacturing process, AI enhances the quality of drugs during manufacturing using cameras and cognitive algorithms based on Deep Learning; improves worker safety by detecting risks through computer vision; and optimizes industrial operations and reduces wastage through the combination of AI and computer vision.
Lastly, in the distribution and marketing area, AI optimizes the supply chain through intelligent demand predictions and production efficiency improvements; enables the detection of medication-related fraud by analyzing purchasing and supply patterns; enhances communication management with virtual assistants and through new channels such as WhatsApp Business.
“At Catenon,” Echevarría points out, “we are working globally across the 100 countries where we operate to find the best profiles for the pharmaceutical market in Catalonia. Fundamentally, we are using a personalized model for both the client and the candidate, supported by technologies such as Big Data, AI, and process automation, to identify the right professional anywhere in the world in record time. We are able to achieve this because we work with our methodology and understand talent search in a technological way since 2000.”
The dynamic Catalan landscape is leading to an international search for highly knowledgeable professionals. Among the in-demand profiles are:
– Health Data Scientists: Analyze large datasets to identify patterns, trends, and relationships useful in drug discovery, treatment personalization, and clinical outcome improvement. Skills required include data science, statistics, machine learning, and programming.
– Biomedical Engineers: Develop and maintain technological systems for patient monitoring, clinical trials data management, and implementation of AI-based healthcare technologies. Knowledge in biomedical engineering, computer science, and programming is necessary.
– Bioinformaticians: Apply computational tools to analyze biological and genomic data, contributing to biomarker discovery and personalized therapy development. Experience in bioinformatics, genomics, and biological data analysis is required.
– Regulation and Ethics Experts in AI: Ensure AI applications comply with regulations and ethical standards in drug development and healthcare service provision. Knowledge in pharmaceutical regulations, ethics, and regulatory compliance is essential.
– Health Software Developers: Create applications and platforms for clinical data management, telemedicine, and other information technology-based solutions. Specialization in software development, information security, and user interface design is necessary.
– Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Specialists: Apply machine learning algorithms to analyze medical data, improve process efficiency, and develop predictive models. Knowledge and experience in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and programming are required.