GSK Updates Analytics Platform for Faster Drug Development

GSK began an overhaul transformation of its R&D data and analytics infrastructure three years ago. Here's what it looks like today. Creating a new drug can take anywhere from 8 years to 20 years for a pharmaceutical company. To put that in perspective, on the early end of that timeline, the iPad was introduced 8 years ago in 2010. And on the far side of that timeline, Google didn't exist 20 years ago -- it was founded in September 1998. Technology is moving along much faster than new drug development for pharmaceutical companies. GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) would like to make that new drug discovery and development timeline a lot shorter. The London-based company is among the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. Mark Ramsey joined GSK in 2015 as the pharmaceutical giant's first chief data officer (CDO), reporting to the president of research and development and focused on creating a team and establishing a platform to support data and analytics for the company. Ultimately, the goal is to speed up the drug development process to 2 years. So where do you begin to address the data and analytics challenges presented by a centuries old company and leapfrog ahead to a place where efficiency can accelerate drug development?