AI for Pharma Growth
E198: Podcast with Cures & Capital Part 1
AI for Pharma Growth
•December 31, 2025•28 min
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AI for Pharma Growth•Dec 31, 2025
Key Takeaways
- •85% AI pilot failure due to lack of strategic focus.
- •AI adoption shifted from experimental to essential biopharma infrastructure.
- •ROI measurement must include time savings, risk reduction, revenue impact.
- •Talent shortage and data readiness hinder AI implementation.
- •ChatGPT sparked rapid executive prioritization of AI strategies.
Pulse Analysis
The episode traces AI’s two‑decade journey in biopharma, from early digitization of electronic health records and the Human Genome Project to the 2014 breakthrough in generative AI and the 2022 ChatGPT explosion. These milestones turned AI from a research curiosity into a core business capability, enabling rare‑disease patient identification, market‑share analytics, and the first AI‑discovered drug candidates. Executives now view AI as a strategic lever for speed, cost reduction, and competitive advantage, especially as COVID‑driven digitization accelerated data availability and cloud scalability.
Despite enthusiasm, the industry is mired in a "spray‑and‑pray" culture, with hundreds of pilots and an 85% failure rate. The hosts highlight three systemic blockers: fragmented ownership between IT and business units, a talent gap where many claim AI expertise without deep experience, and data that is often unstructured or inaccurate. Regulatory guidance is emerging, but companies still struggle to translate proof‑of‑concepts into measurable ROI. Successful firms—such as Roche’s acquisition of Flatiron Health—anchor AI projects to clear financial, operational, and strategic metrics, balancing tangible savings with intangible benefits like risk mitigation and market differentiation.
Andre Bates outlines a disciplined AI strategy playbook: start with a business‑first problem definition, quantify expected efficiency gains, revenue uplift, and risk reduction, then map required data and technology capabilities. Financial modeling, often led by experts with private‑equity backgrounds, helps C‑suite leaders assess probability‑weighted outcomes and justify investment. By treating AI as infrastructure rather than a standalone tool, firms can prioritize high‑impact use cases—drug‑discovery acceleration, regulatory document automation, and personalized content generation—while building the data hygiene and change‑management foundations needed for long‑term success. The conversation underscores that strategic, ROI‑driven AI adoption will separate early leaders from the sea of pilot‑heavy laggards.
Episode Description
In this episode, Dr. Andre Bates, Founder & CEO of Eularis, joins Cures and Capital hosts Martin and Simon for a deep dive into how AI is transforming the biopharma industry. With over two decades of experience applying AI across R&D, clinical development, regulatory, medical affairs, and commercial teams, Dr. Bates explains how the field has evolved from early digitisation to the current generative AI era.
She discusses the post-ChatGPT shift in executive decision-making, why many organisations are stuck in endless piloting, and how companies can build a strategic, business-aligned AI roadmap that delivers real-world value. Dr. Bates also breaks down a practical framework for calculating ROI on AI initiatives and highlights where pharma teams are seeing the strongest impact today—from drug discovery and clinical trials to regulatory workflows and personalised commercial engagement.
What You’ll Learn From This Episode
How AI has evolved in biopharma over the past two decades.
Why ChatGPT created a turning point for pharma executives.
Common pitfalls that cause AI pilots to fail—and how to avoid them.
How to build a strategic, outcome-driven AI roadmap.
A practical framework for calculating ROI on AI initiatives.
Where AI delivers the highest ROI across the pharma value chain.
How AI can elevate—not replace—the expertise of scientific, clinical, and medical teams.
About the Podcast
AI for Pharma Growth is a podcast focused on exploring how artificial intelligence can revolutionise healthcare by addressing disparities and creating equitable systems. Join us as we unpack groundbreaking technologies, real-world applications, and expert insights to inspire a healthier, more equitable future.
This show brings together leading experts and changemakers to demystify AI and show how it’s being used to transform healthcare. Whether you're in the medical field, technology sector, or just curious about AI’s role in social good, this podcast offers valuable insights.
AI For Pharma Growth is the podcast from pioneering Pharma Artificial Intelligence entrepreneur Dr. Andree Bates created to help organisations understand how the use of AI based technologies can easily save them time and grow their brands and business. This show blends deep experience in the sector with demystifying AI for all pharma people, from start up biotech right through to Big Pharma. In this podcast Dr Andree will teach you the tried and true secrets to building a pharma company using AI that anyone can use, at any budget.
As the author of many peer-reviewed journals and having addressed over 500 industry conferences across the globe, Dr Andree Bates uses her obsession with all things AI and futuretech to help you to navigate through the, sometimes confusing but, magical world of AI powered tools to grow pharma businesses.
This podcast features many experts who have developed powerful AI powered tools that are the secret behind some time saving and supercharged revenue generating business results. Those who share their stories and expertise show how AI can be applied to sales, marketing, production, social media, psychology, customer insights and so much more.
Dr. Andree Bates LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter
Show Notes
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