End-to-End Responsibilities for Early Development: 36

MedTech Speed to Data

Data drives MedTech growth, from the leanest startup to the world’s most valuable pharmaceutical company. In Episode #36 of the MedTech Speed to Data Podcast, Key Tech’s Andy Rogers discusses data-driven trends in medical technology with Anand Subramony, Eli Lilly’s Vice President of Drug Delivery, Device, Connected Solutions & Innovation.

Need to know

· Quarter-century perspective — After getting his PhD in chemistry and materials science from Purdue University, Subramony spent the next twenty-five years developing novel medical technologies for firms like Johnson & Johnson, Novartis, and AstraZeneca.

· Cutting-edge combination product development — Now at Eli Lilly, Subramony’s team is responsible for combination product development, from early development through commercial development, for new delivery dosage forms.

The nitty-gritty

Subramony drew upon his career-spanning perspective to discuss significant data-driven trends that impact the entire industry, not just Eli Lilly.

One topic he raised in his conversation with Andy was using data to monitor disease state progression. Already an important element of fields like neurology and oncology, extensive data collection will become essential to a wider range of treatments. For many conditions, Subramony explains, disease state is a binary evaluation.

“You can really understand disease state progression using digital biomarkers and collecting data throughout [the treatment],” Subramony said. “I think these are areas where there is a lot of potential.”

Another data-driven trend Subramony discusses is the adoption of direct delivery therapies. When treating tumors and other conditions, off-target toxicity can cause unfortunate side effects. Genetic medicines, such as mRNA therapies, can target the cell surface, protect the cargo, and prevent endosomal escape.

“It’s going to disrupt the way we look at drug delivery from macroscopic pen auto-injector deliveries to microscopic, targeted deliveries where you need to take the therapeutic moiety into the site of action,” Subramony said.

Data that made the difference:

This episode’s wide-ranging conversation covered many additional topics of interest to the MedTech community, including:

GLP-1 treatments are “really transformative” for individual patients who can afford them. However, bringing costs down will depend on data demonstrating how lower obesity and healthier lifestyles reduce the overall burden on the healthcare system.

For sensors and connected devices to go beyond “bells and whistles,” the industry must drive value from how we use that data. Relating compliance to efficacy, for example, makes moving patients from less effective to more effective therapies easier and faster.

Continuous monitoring can improve healthcare outcomes but requires new data management practices to govern how much data is collected, who is collecting and viewing the data, and what are the privacy rules protecting patients.