Trust as the Main Driver of Biopharma
- Miruna E. R.
- Sep 2
- 3 min read
Over the last decade, healthcare has been revolutionized by digital transformation. From streamlining administrative workflows to automating clinical documentation and live consultations, artificial intelligence drastically improved clinicians’ workloads while minimally disrupting their care delivery. With AI at the frontier of this innovation, new technologies go beyond ambient documentation.
R&D Has Never Been More Efficient and Reliable Than It Is Today
In fact, the integration of AI and data science in drug discovery and manufacturing has drastically accelerated every phase of R&D, improved compound selection accuracy and ensured real-time quality control into operational processes. This marked a major shift in the medical research industry as it shifted from traditional trial-and-error approaches to a technology-enabled ecosystem that integrates research, development, and manufacturing into a more agile and reliable healthcare pipeline.
Drug development has benefited from data science and AI integration as it shortened processes such as genome sequencing algorithms, predictive protein-folding patterns and protein interactions models. New emerging AI-integrated technologies also contribute to improving diagnostic medicine by assisting healthcare practitioners in preventative, predictive and personalized patient monitoring.
With the rise of tech in Big Pharma, would you trust being the first to test a new emerging technology?
Many would argue that even though technology is becoming an integral part of our lives, the integration of new technologies in the healthcare system remains stalled. Mistrust has always been one of biopharmaceutical companies’ challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic acts as a reminder of all the hesitancy embedded in public perceptions of the biopharmaceutical industry. Despite contributing to discover life-saving therapies for as long as we can remember and consumers admitting that they trust the medication they take, consumer polls reveal that pharma companies rank among the lowest trusted industry.
Trust in Biopharma – Key Takeaways from Deloitte Insights
Trust in the newest biopharmaceutical technologies, which is essential for clinical adoption, lags behind. In fact, the 2025 AMA survey revealed that while 68% of physicians recognized the value in AI tools and 66% were active users, nearly half identified that tighter oversight from medical practitioners would bridge the trust gap between trust and AI-driven technologies.
The qualitative exploratory study conducted by Deloitte highlights shows how trust is a strategic asset for the biopharmaceutical industry, as it fuels their incentive to innovate by gaining customer loyalty, recruiting talent and partnership opportunities and adapting their public health initiatives when challenges arise.
Loyalty follows trust: Brands that have gained their consumers’ trust have 62% of those consumers buying exclusively from them.
However, trust isn’t built overnight. Biopharma industries are combining their efforts to invest in responsive strategies that are adaptive, consistent and mutually reinforcing. Organisations can earn trust by showing their ability to consistently deliver on their promises. As they follow-through with competence and intent, industry leaders can showcase their true commitment to stakeholder well-being, thereby reinforcing their reputational integrity.
From the perspective of biopharma public relations professionals, consumers’ trust in biopharma can be built by:
Exposing harmful practices and holding negligent actors accountable while simultaneously elevating and humanizing purpose-driven industry leaders (CEOs, chief scientific officers, scientists, etc.).
Collaborating closely with healthcare practitioners (doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and even patient groups) and policymakers.
Transparently communicating complex topics (science, R&D, clinical trials, customer complaints, drug accessibility and pricing) that are poorly understood by the public.
From the perspective of the focus group participants, consumers’ trust in biopharma can be built by:
Providing valuable insight into business practices and their operations (36%).
Offering clear information on drug effectiveness, added value in managing conditions and their potential side effects (66%).
Transparently communicating about topics such as drug development and pricing (51%).
Conclusion:
While advances in AI, data science and digital transformation are accelerating drug discovery, diagnostics and patient care, these innovations can only thrive if they are rooted in trust. Trust is a continuous process built through transparency, accountability and meaningful collaboration with patients, healthcare providers, regulators and society at large.
By bridging the trust gap and ensuring that breakthroughs in innovation, that translates into tangible benefits for patients worldwide. Ultimately, it is trust that will determine whether biopharma’s most promising technologies achieve their full potential and shape the future of healthcare for generations to come.
Comments