In a previous life, I worked in advertising and PR agencies servicing pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. While I was in a position to foster brand recognition, pre-market a product on the verge of FDA approval, or increase awareness of a small biotech start-up looking for venture capital, I got a feel for the tremendous resources needed to bring a drug to market. The clinical trial process in particular seemed like a vast and complex beast on its own, let alone everything else that goes into drug development – marketing, pricing, packaging, the list goes on.

Now at SAS, I’m understanding the significant efficiencies business analytics brings to that process. From designing better trials and targeting patient recruitment to selecting the best investigator site and improving resource projections, health analytics reduce the cost and time to manage clinical research. This effectiveness will certainly improve the bottom line relative to ongoing health debates in the US government – in addition to helping health outcomes globally.

I’m particularly excited about health analytics after the SAS Health & Life Sciences Executive Conference last month. This issue will give you an idea of some hot topics that were discussed there.

This post was republished from the May SAS Business Report.