AI & Healthcare

Healthcare leaders ask why proven medicines still aren’t widely reused. In this short conversation, Bob Battista explains that the core barrier to drug repurposing isn’t technology—it’s policy and incentives. While AI drug repurposing and real‑world data can surface new indications, the most valuable knowledge remains locked inside pharmaceutical organizations and constrained by regulatory risk and reimbursement dynamics. Battista outlines how safe‑harbor data sharing and new financial instruments could let companies support niche indications without eroding primary markets, accelerating access for patients and clinicians. He also highlights the untapped insights from physicians’ off‑label use and patient experience—critical signals the healthcare system rarely aggregates. If you work in market access, clinical operations, or digital health, this is a clear roadmap to move the drug repurposing market from potential to practice.

In this insightful discussion, Dr. Debra Patt explores the nuanced balance between patient privacy, data monetization, and the transformative role of AI in healthcare. She highlights that while individual patient records hold limited value, aggregated, de-identified data can drive significant medical advancements, such as expanding drug indications through real-world evidence. Dr. Patt also addresses the challenges posed by electronic health record (EHR) systems, noting their limitations as billing-focused tools that often fail to capture accurate clinical data in real time. For AI to truly revolutionize healthcare data use, she argues, both technology and clinical workflows must evolve together.