In just a few years, telemedicine has gone mainstream, with patients booking online sessions for everything from therapy and health coaching to dermatology appointments. But healthcare’s digital metamorphosis reaches well beyond routine check-ups over video. Amgen, the Thousand Oaks, California–based global biotechnology leader known for discovering and developing innovative therapies, has been instrumental in bringing tomorrow’s solutions to today’s patients, treating disease-specific and chronic illnesses through the convergence of technology and healthcare.
While laser-focused on the future, this approach also builds on Amgen’s legacy as a pioneer in developing medicines and treatments that positively impact patients’ health. By implementing digital innovation, Amgen aims to reimagine, expand, and expedite its problem-solving expertise.
It’s a united effort that encompasses many stakeholders in Amgen’s Digital Health and Innovation (DHI) team, comprised of three core areas: Data bet365体育赛事 and Engineering, which embraces artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to build visionary capabilities; Business Development and Data/Tech Strategy, which focuses on competitive intelligence and cultivating partnerships to deliver life-changing therapies for patients; and Digital Products, which progresses and scales select tech-enabled remote digital monitoring products, including wearable devices and platforms, for clinical trials. Each sector supports the other while pursuing its own distinct goals.
“The world as we know it has changed and technology and health are intertwined more than ever before,” says Michael Zahigian, Senior Vice President, and Chief Information Officer of Digital Technology and Innovation (DTI). “It is important that we continue to stay on top of technology trends to meet the needs of our patients now and in the future.”
The DHI team is intent on keeping Amgen on the fast track to the next frontier. “We’re at the forefront of understanding, from a digital health and innovation standpoint, advances that can help improve patients’ lives,” explains Carlyn Crisostomo, Executive Director, and Head of Digital Health and Innovation (DHI), who reports to Zahigian. “DHI is focused on identifying and developing the introduction of novel digital health and technology solutions at Amgen.”
DHI operates much like an agile incubator, seeking end-to-end patient engagement solutions and leveraging the lessons learned. And the DHI team is open for business, meaning, it’s continuously fielding new prospective startups and entrepreneurs who are equally as passionate about tech and healthcare. “We’re like a startup within a big organization,” she explains, “Our team’s piece of the puzzle is to educate the company about the digital opportunities within our grasp.”
Crisostomo, who comes from a startup background, understands firsthand the inherent challenges emerging businesses face when selling their services to large companies. At the same time, she knows how a global company of Amgen’s stature can propel ideas to expand discovery approaches, speed development cycles and integrate solutions to support patients.”
Over the past decade, Amgen has launched several novel therapies, and biosesimilars directed at unmet medical needs for serious diseases in large therapeutic categories. Some of these innovative treatments are being used in ongoing clinical trials that test remote digital monitoring outside of hospital confines, allowing physicians to track patients’ vital signs through FDA-cleared wearable devices and platforms and enable a more complete picture of patients captured from both inpatient and outpatient settings. In just a few years, tech-enabled monitoring progressed dramatically, with both patients and physicians becoming more comfortable using and adopting wearable devices and platforms.
“How do we leverage these emerging channels of care and empower patients to participate at home without leaving home?” Crisostomo says, relaying some of the questions the DHI team grapples with. “At the end of the day, we’re trying to serve patients—that’s our mission,” she says.
While performance is always top of mind, it’s the transformative aspect of these devices and treatments that drives the team forward. As the DHI team continues to innovate and iterate, it seeks to optimize the capabilities of remote monitoring, leveraging machine learning on data gathered for predicting and preventing adverse events. Clinical trials can span years due to extensive testing and research, but artificial intelligence and machine learning are helping to position the therapies for a higher likelihood of success. “Our remote patient monitoring enables us to speed up data capture and the time to market so that patients who want therapy can get it as quickly as possible,” she says.
As healthcare continues to make inroads, Crisostomo envisions that the data and insights generated will engender more clinical pathways and be further integrated within emergency rooms and hospitals, allowing for more personalized patient care. “There can be a world where care is individualized for me, based on my genetics, background, and my preferences.”
Since its start in 1980, Amgen’s strategy has revolved around discovering, developing, manufacturing, and delivering innovative human therapeutics that significantly impact patients suffering from serious diseases. That focus and insatiable curiosesity has never lost momentum. Today, its life-altering products reach over 10 million patients worldwide. “We have high convictions we should do something, and we have the talent and resourcing to do so,” says Crisostomo.
Discover Amgen’s portfolio of innovative therapies, the latest scientific research, and updates about products from one of the world’s biotechnology leaders at Amgen.com.
This story was produced by WIRED Brand Lab for Amgen
