Executive Summary: AI Built for Pharma: Why Out-of-the-Box Beats Build-from-Scratch

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

AI Built for Pharma: Why Out-of-the-Box Beats Build-from-Scratch

AI in pharma is evolving fast. Industry leaders from Alnylam, Novartis, and ACTO argue that purpose-built AI often beats custom builds—delivering speed, compliance, and impact. ACTO offers a proven, scalable AI platform tailored to life sciences.Contents

Thanks for reading our

AI Built for Pharma—Why Out-of-the-Box Beats Build-from-Scratch

PANEL DISCUSSION

“AI Built for Pharma: Why Out-of-the-Box Beats Build-from-Scratch”

PANELISTS

DR. SARAH BARRETT

Associate Director, Medical Affairs Training

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals

KISHAN KUMAR

Executive Director of Marketing

Novartis

PARTH KHANNA

CEO & Co-founder

ACTO

WHERE DOES PHARMA STAND IN THE AI RACE?

AI is transforming the life sciences landscape at an unprecedented pace. For organizations operating in highly regulated, compliance-driven environments, the question is no longer if AI should be adopted, but how.

Should pharma teams invest in building custom AI solutions internally, or opt for purpose-built platforms designed specifically for the industry?

In this compelling webinar panel industry leaders; Dr. Sarah Barrett, Associate Director, Medical Affairs Training, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Kishin Kumar, Executive Director of Marketing, Novartis, and Parth Khanna, CEO & Co-founder, ACTO, delve into a nuanced discussion on AI adoption in pharma, offering first-hand insights, practical frameworks, and actionable strategies.

Key Takeaways

WHY BUY: THE CASE FOR OUT-OF-THE-BOX AI

“Out-of-the-box AI lets your team focus on what matters; strategy, engagement, and impact, not managing servers or updating models.”

- Dr. Sarah Barrett, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals

“Out-of-the-box AI lets your team focus on what matters; strategy, engagement, and impact, not managing servers or updating models.”

- Dr. Sarah Barrett, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals

If speed, scalability, and compliance are top priorities, buying an AI solution tailored for pharma often beats building from scratch. Why?

Reduced implementation time
Built-in compliance guardrails
Industry-specific use cases (e.g., MSL support, AI-powered field coaching)
Vendors shoulder infrastructure and support

"If a vendor understands the space… it eliminates a lot of those fundamental questions [baseline requirements for pharma-specific AI solutions]. You don’t want to go two levels in and realize the solution doesn’t even fulfill first-level compliance.”

- Kishan Kumar, Novartis

WHY BUILD: WHEN CUSTOM STILL WINS

"In-house you can keep things a lot more confidential… but that means you need the talent in-house and the time.”

- Dr. Sarah Barrett, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals

"In-house you can keep things a lot more confidential… but that means you need the talent in-house and the time.”

- Dr. Sarah Barrett, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals

When use cases are niche, experimental, or confidential (e.g., R&D molecular modeling), in-house development may offer more control, as long as the internal talent density is there. However, many organizations underestimate the ongoing resource and maintenance costs required to sustain AI internally.

What is the most important consideration when deciding whether to build v. buy an AI solution at your organization?

Time to value/speed to implementation
Internal resources/expertise
Cost
Customization requirements
Scalability
Compliance

"Build or buy is context-dependent. If the use case is clear, time-sensitive, and compliance-heavy, then buy. If it’s exploratory and loosely defined, then build.”

- Parth Khanna, ACTO

"Build or buy is context-dependent. If the use case is clear, time-sensitive, and compliance-heavy, then buy. If it’s exploratory and loosely defined, then build.”

- Parth Khanna, ACTO

AI SHOULD AMPLIFY HUMANS, NOT REPLACE THEM

"The purpose and goal of AI is to make humans more effective — not to replace them and go down a path of blind pursuit of efficiency.”

- Parth Khanna, ACTO

"The purpose and goal of AI is to make humans more effective, not to replace them and go down a path of blind pursuit of efficiency.”

- Parth Khanna, ACTO

AI’s role is to amplify - not replace -field professionals. Whether it's streamlining documentation, enhancing call planning, or delivering contextual coaching, AI should empower MSLs and reps to do more of what they do best: engage meaningfully with HCPs.

What best describes your organization’s current approach to AI?

Have no AI initiatives yet
Developing guidance for use of AI
Exploring proof of concepts
Using off-the-shelf AI tools
Building AI capabilities in-house
Using a mix of build and buy

“There's this one favorite quote that is close to heart: I don’t want AI doing the writing—I want it doing the laundry and the dishes so I can focus on strategy.”

- Kishan Kumar, Novartis

“There's this one favorite quote that is close to heart: I don’t want AI doing the writing—I want it doing the laundry and the dishes so I can focus on strategy.”

- Kishan Kumar, Novartis

DECISION TOOL: THE BUILD VS. BUY SCORECARD

ACTO introduced a practical framework that weighs:

Time to value
Compliance sensitivity
Budget and resource availability
Business problem clarity

Use this tool to objectively assess whether to build or buy your next AI solution.

"It’s not about AI replacing field teams. It’s about enabling MSLs and reps to focus more on what they do best: engaging with HCPs in meaningful, compliant ways.”

- Collective Panel Key Takeaway

"It’s not about AI replacing field teams. It’s about enabling MSLs and reps to focus more on what they do best: engaging with HCPs in meaningful, compliant ways.”

- Collective Panel Key Takeaway

EXPLORE WHAT PURPOSE-BUILT AI CAN DO FOR YOUR TEAM

If you’re navigating the build vs. buy debate, ACTO offers a scalable, compliant, and ready-to-deploy solution, without the operational burden of internal development.

Why ACTO?

ACTO is the only AI-powered platform built specifically for life sciences. From contextual field coaching to empathetic AI agents trained on medical content, ACTO helps you scale AI while staying aligned with regulatory, scientific, and engagement goals.

Contact ACTO to learn more.

Why ACTO?

ACTO is an Intelligent Field Excellence (IFE) platform built for life sciences that unifies human intelligence with empathetic AI to help Sales, Medical, Market Access, and Marketing teams improve customer engagement and brand performance.

Contact ACTO to learn more.