Study reveals AI catch-up gap among pharmaceutical giants: Opportunities for Roche, Pfizer, and NetraMark?

NetraMark: Time is money – AI pays off especially in research

AI is transforming the biotech industry by simplifying and accelerating research. On average, it takes 14.6 years and costs USD 2.6 billion to bring a new drug to market. AI helps identify patterns in complex data, assists with study design, and provides guidance on which subjects should participate in the study and which should not. This is exactly where Canadian company NetraMark Holdings comes in, addressing critical weaknesses in drug development with its own industry-tailored AI products NetraAI, NetraPlacebo, and NetraGPT. Research has shown that NetraMark's technology is superior to traditional chatbots such as ChatGPT and DeepSeek. A study entitled "Integrating Dynamical Systems Learning with Foundational Models: A Meta-Evolutionary AI Framework for Clinical Trials" demonstrates that NetraAI was the only AI system capable of extracting statistically valid, clinically actionable insights.

Since traditional drug trials have a failure rate of 90%, NetraAI offers research companies a significant advantage: if unsuccessful trials can be terminated earlier, this reduces costs. If an improved study design increases the chances of success, it brings tangible competitive advantages over the competition. Industry experts believe that the use of AI can shorten the time to approval by 1 to 4 years. In recent years, research-based pharmaceutical companies have gradually expanded their commitment to AI. Surveys of decision-makers show that AI is one of the most important topics in industry. However, companies are not all equally well prepared.

"AI Readiness Index": Many pharmaceutical giants have room for improvement in AI

The "AI Readiness Index" from Coherent Solutions measures the preparedness of large companies in industry to adapt to change. Roche is the undisputed leader in the index with a score of 77.5. It is followed by Bayer (70.2) and Johnson & Johnson (67.4). AbbVie and Novo Nordisk bring up the rear, scoring less than 40 points. Even pharmaceutical giants like Pfizer only manage a mid-tier ranking with 57.7 points. Pfizer's portfolio spans a wide range of therapeutic areas, including oncology, infectious diseases, immunology, cardiovascular disease, and central nervous system disorders. The Company is also well known as BioNTech's partner for mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines. In addition, Pfizer developed the COVID treatment Paxlovid. The research and approval process of the active ingredient benefited from supercomputing and AI for the first time. In June, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla announced at the Goldman Sachs Healthcare Conference the importance of AI in cost reduction. It appears the Company still has untapped potential in the area of AI.

The situation looks better at Roche. The Company launched the "AI with Roche" initiative early on to promote open exchange between experts on the topic of AI. Roche has also relied on AI expertise in the selection of skilled workers in the past. Roche's "Lab-in-the-Loop" model combines laboratory testing with machine learning and AI algorithms and streamlines the classic trial-and-error approach that has been the standard method of exploratory research for decades.

NetraMark shares pick up speed

The AI Readiness Index shows that even billion-dollar companies are at different stages when it comes to AI. For solution providers such as NetraMark, this is a good prerequisite for winning potential customers or even being considered a takeover candidate. Roche's success shows that in-house AI expertise is definitely worthwhile. Current scientific studies and existing collaborations demonstrate that NetraMark can offer added value. Among other partnerships, NetraMark is working with Worldwide Clinical Trials, a well-known clinical research organization. The share price had been trading sideways in recent months, but has recently picked up speed. NetraMark currently has a market capitalization of EUR 68 million. If the Company succeeds in winning over additional customers or partners, the share could unlock further upside potential.