Pharma companies discuss role of IT in the industry

IT is helping scientists to spend more money on actual lab work.

As IT comes to play an ever-more-important role in pharmaceutical research and drug development, companies in this sector are streamlining their operations.
This is leading to more free time for scientists to spend on research and development, according to the organisers of an upcoming event on IT in the pharma industry.
Last month saw a number of IT firms and pharmaceutical companies coming together to discuss the future of IT and how it will affect laboratory science.
The Laboratory/Manufacturing IT Collaboration Forum hosted by AstraZeneca in Massachusetts, US, was the first of what is intended to be a series of such events.
Mike Santimaw, specialist computing service delivery manager at AstraZeneca, said: "With the increasing demand for personalized medicine and lower drug costs the industry needs more efficient ways to work together and help scientists focus on creating new drugs that meet patient needs.
"We want to identify the IT roadblocks and find the solutions. Collaborating enables us to solve these problems faster freeing everyone to do more in terms of research and development and grow as an industry."