12 February, 2019
Hi Robert, Nice of you to take the time for an inteview. Epista Life Science and Anchor Management collaborate, and we have just been at the Danish Embassy and heard each other’s talk at your Executive Round Table. Your thoughts from this meeting. – What I brought with me today is very much about that the Life Science industry is expecting that a new technology will come, a technology that will help with developing new products and services. It’s abstract. The industry is lagging behind here. What is it, how do you do it? And how can we implement it efficiently without the cost running high. We hear this when we talk to people even in other contexts. Is the solution digitalization? You don’t know for sure. Moreover, it does not help that many organisations do not have a clear strategy for digitization.
Life Science development in the near future; what do you see as extra interesting?
– Many of the low hanging fruits have been picked. They have been picked since many decades. In many cases, the development is now about approaching the patient groups. There is a lot to gain here, Robert continues.
– As recent as today I was reminded, when a question came from one of the participants: What do the patients want? Is there anyone who asks this question? The connection between the patients and the companies is a direct success factor, as I see it.
– Traditionally, one has picked up an idea and pushed it on with the basis of the sample patient group size. Now we see another landscape with social media and new channels for customers and patients. Customer relationships, systems for it and effective tools in this context, are a success factor.
– I am myself a patient. I eat medicine for high blood pressure. But no one has contacted me with questions. – What would you need? – We are researching this area, what do you say? There is a lot to work on here, says Robert.
– Otherwise, I think it will happen a lot on the device side within the Life Sciences industry. Yes, what, tell me!
– There is a trend now that you connect sensors on or in the body via e.g. your smartphone and sharing it in a cloud-based solution where an algorithm and doctor value this and you can instantaneously get readouts. For example: You have heart fibrillation right now. Your cardiac fibrillation is deadly – Contact healthcare now! Or: You have heart fibrillation right now. There is no danger – continue with what you do. Two examples, says Robert.
– Here you can measure many aspects of blood sugar etc. As a patient, you feel very helped. A life quality enhancer simply.
If you dare to give a speculation: Where are currents moving towards in the LS industry; Prevention or Treatment?
– Prevention will be a lot about lifestyle issues. On the treatment side, I would say that development will go the more individual-based therapies. My blood pressure medication today fits in virtually everyone, but in the future, it will be more personalized. Adapted to the DNA of specific people. It goes that way. Even with regard to cancer. No easy fights of course. The easy ones are already taken, one can say, Robert says.
What is Epista’s contribution, as a value proposition?
– I would say that we are present on the market to identify and eliminate obstacles to a digital future within the life science industry. The industry has to do this in a sensible way, so costs and resources do not run through the roof. At the same time, there will of course be new demands from the authorities, who for sure will formulate new requirements. Take the example cloud storage. It must go hand in hand with requirements for the obstacles to be eliminated.
A last question. Epista has its Swedish base in Lund, but until recently in Helsingborg. Give us tips on a good restaurant there.
– I like to go to Khai & Mui, an Asian good lunch break. Now I am a parent of toddlers. So, evenings are booked solid at home, Robert concludes.
This was nice and I got an insight into your life – thank you Robert!
I would say that we are present on the market to identify and eliminate obstacles to a digital future within the life science industry.
