As the world evolves at a rapid pace, pharma companies are embracing smarter approaches, leveraging AI across nearly every aspect of commercialisation, from market forecasting and personalised marketing to dynamic pricing and beyond. In this article, Neha Aathavale takes the pulse of the industry to explore who is taking note and how companies are beginning to put AI into action in their commercial operations
While much of the spotlight has been on AI’s role in drug discovery, its influence is no longer confined to the laboratory. Discovery has often been described as the beating heart of any pharma company, where AI strengthens and accelerates critical breakthroughs. But if discovery is the heart, commercialisation is the network of nerves and veins. It is here that AI is fast becoming the compass, guiding companies in India and across the world toward more efficient, responsive, and innovative ways of bringing medicines to market and smoothing the business part of it.
As global healthcare landscapes become increasingly competitive and patient expectations evolve, the ability to leverage AI across commercial functions is no longer optional. From demand forecasting and inventory optimisation to personalised marketing and dynamic pricing, pharma companies are beginning to use AI to make decisions faster, anticipate market shifts, and tailor outreach to diverse stakeholders.
By bridging the gap between scientific innovation and business execution, AI is reshaping operations and enabling smarter, more agile, and scalable commercial strategies. The key question now is which companies are taking note and actively turning this potential into action?
Antony Prashant, Partner, Deloitte
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is set to revolutionise pharmaceutical commercialisation in India over the next
five years
Sushant Rabra, Partner and Head, Digital Strategy, Solutions and Insights, KPMG
By integrating predictive analytics, intelligent supply chains, and responsive marketing, Indian pharma can move beyond cost leadership to value-driven innovation
Shifting gears with AI
Early signs suggest the momentum is building. An EYOPPI survey shows that 79 per cent of pharma CXOs view AI and machine learning as central to growth. Indian organisations expect generative AI to transform their business within the next three years, driven by pressure from both internal and external stakeholders to accelerate adoption.
Affirming this trend, Sushant Rabra, Partner and Head, Digital Strategy, Solutions and Insights, KPMG in India, states, “Indian pharma companies are increasingly adopting AI and running GenAI applications in production, forecasting, supply chain and channel targeting and rep productivity, signalling a shift from experimentation to scaled deployment.”
Demand forecasting and inventory optimisation are proving to be early winners. According to KPMG, 60 per cent of life sciences leaders are using AI-driven predictive analytics and real-time data feeds to cut stock-outs and reduce excess inventory. Nearly half of the companies are also investing in AI for pricing simulations, payer insight analytics, and market access modelling. On the supply chain front, half of leading Indian pharma companies have implemented GenAI-enabled orchestration platforms, cutting logistics costs by 20 to 25 per cent while improving on-time delivery rates by 15 per cent.
Within this evolving landscape, Suresh Subramanian, Partner and National Lifesciences Leader, EY Parthenon India, points out that branded generics dominate the Indian market and AI adoption has advanced in highly targeted areas. “Medical rep engagement, coaching, and upskilling, generating sharper customer insights, and providing rep nudges to improve in-clinic time for demand generation are key focus points. Doctor real-time support services are also gaining traction.” He adds that emerging use cases include, microsegment campaigns, virtual MSLs, and trade generics experimenting with AI-led pricing and discount management.
The AI compliance equation
While AI offers tremendous potential, pharma companies must balance innovation with regulatory compliance. The Uniform Code of Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices restricts direct-to-consumer promotions and mandates ethical engagement. Hypersegmented, AI-driven marketing campaigns remain an attractive possibility, but they must operate within these strictures.
Antony Prashant, Partner, Deloitte, explains, “AI can support compliant marketing by automating MLR reviews, generating modular content, and enabling real-time engagement strategies. Rather than pushing boundaries, companies are using AI to streamline regulatory workflows, personalise within approved frameworks, and ensure traceability.”
Rabra notes that, given the stricter MLR and audit-trail mandates, only about 20 to 25 per cent of companies currently run fully automated persona segmentation without manual review. He adds, “Scaled hyper-segmentation across half of pharma’s digital marketing spend will only materialise in the next couple of years, once industry-wide AI governance and automated MLR workflows are fully harmonised.”
Subramanian provides additional context on how AI can improve both compliance and effectiveness. “Personalised campaigns tailored to specific customer personas are critical in a heterogeneous market. AI can improve both transparency and effectiveness, creating a win-win for policymakers and pharma companies,” he says, while noting that safeguards around data privacy, patient consent, and responsible data use are essential.
The global-local divide
Another interesting dimension lies in the pace of adoption between global pharma subsidiaries and Indian-origin companies. According to KPMG, 60–70 per cent of AI commercialisation initiatives in India are driven by global pharma subsidiaries, with Indian-origin firms accounting for 30–35 per cent.
Rabra adds, “Multinationals use India as a strategic testbed, deploying global CRM platforms, predictive-analytics engines, and GenAI content tools. The various global players allocate around 20 to 25 per cent of their commercial budgets to AI and cloud infrastructure, versus just around 10 to 15 per cent for domestic firms.”
Indian-origin firms, however, are no less ambitious. Subramanian observes that they are “leveraging data and analytics to create multiple market segments, generate deeper insights, and enhance their ability to serve both doctors and patients, ultimately improving outcomes.” While cautious and cost-sensitive, they are actively exploring modular AI tools, often co-developed with health-tech startups, to boost operational efficiency.
Suresh Subramanian, Partner and National Lifesciences Leader, EY Parthenon India
Data is the bedrock of AI adoption in
pharma, and regulatory guidance will be
key to enabling responsible use
Joy Chatterjee, Vice President, Sales and Marketing Head, Consumer Business Unit, Mankind Pharma
It (Gen AI) allows us to move beyond
one-size-fits-all campaigns toward
dynamic, real-time communication that
is economical, adaptable, and compliant
ensuring consistency in messaging
while meeting the unique needs of
each stakeholder with greater speed and
relevance
The next AI frontier
Industry consensus suggests that the next five years will see mainstream adoption of AI in commercialisation. It is expected to focus on supply chain, forecasting, and marketing, followed by pricing optimisation and HR. Prashant highlights the tangible benefits, noting that AI-driven supply chain management has demonstrated “increase in demand prediction accuracy, operational cost reduction, and decrease in drug shortages.”
Rabra adds that virtual digital twins, powered by GenAI, are enabling end-to-end supply chain simulations and dynamic rerouting in case of disruptions. He cites a case where a diagnostic player reconfigured monsoon-affected routes in real time, cutting transit delays by approximately 20 per cent.
In HR, Subramanian notes, “AI adoption in pharma HR is already underway, with GenAI and Agentic AI being tested for improved employee engagement, upskilling, and enterprise performance management. This is reshaping how HR teams are structured and creating value through the three Es: efficiency, expense reduction, and employee experience.”
Prashant further observes that emerging applications include micro-segment campaigns, virtual MSLs, and pricing and discount management in trade generics, showing that AI is increasingly embedded across multiple layers of commercial operations.
Building the ecosystem For these gains to scale, the pharma ecosystem in India requires a series of strategic shifts. Prashant highlights that India’s pharmaceutical sector is poised for a transformative leap, but full-scale adoption will require strengthened infrastructure, clear regulatory guardrails, and talent development.
The government’s Rs 5,000 crore PRIP scheme offers up to 50 percent funding support for pharma and MedTech innovation, targeting areas such as biosimilars, precision medicine, and AI-enabled commercialisation. Public-private partnerships are also gaining traction. The Rs 330 crore AI Centre of Excellence by IIT Delhi and AIIMS Delhi, for example, is developing indigenous AI tools for national health programmes.
Subramanian emphasises the importance of data and governance frameworks. “Data is the bedrock of AI adoption in pharma, and regulatory guidance will be key to enabling responsible use. Policies must facilitate secure sharing of real-world data such as prescription records, electronic health records, and patient adherence information, while ensuring compliance with HIPAA, GDPR, and country-specific laws on privacy, security, and consent management,” he says. He adds that platforms like the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission can enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and expand access to patients in underserved regions.
Talent development is also critical. AIIMS and PGIMER have been designated as Centres of Excellence for AI, supporting training and deployment of AI tools in diagnostics and commercial operations. Strong cybersecurity measures, robust risk and governance frameworks, and clearly defined policies on AI explainability, bias detection, and accountability are all essential to build trust and enable scaling. With these ecosystem elements in place, India is positioned to become a global leader in AI-powered pharma innovation, moving beyond cost leadership to value-driven, digitally advanced solutions.
At Mankind Pharma, we believe AI is not
just the future of technology but the
future of healthcare
Case study: Mankind Pharma
panies have begun taking concrete steps toward integrating AI into their operations. A detailed example comes from Mankind Pharma. In September, the company announced a collaboration with OpenAI to institutionalise AI across its value chain. Mankind plans to deploy OpenAI Enterprise across multiple functions, including field force enablement, digital marketing, research and development, manufacturing, and medical affairs.
Asked about the impact specifically on digital marketing, the company highlighted the limitations of traditional engagement models. Before adopting AI, campaigns relied heavily on celebrity ambassadors and conventional formats. Joy Chatterjee, Vice President, Sales and Marketing Head, Consumer Business Unit, explains, “Celebrity-led activations, while impactful, often came with restrictions around availability, contractual boundaries, and limited adaptability across diverse campaign requirements—offline, online and digital.”
Chatterjee adds that maintaining a consistent presence across multiple touchpoints was challenging, especially in direct engagement contexts where continuous, personalised communication is critical. Ensuring participation across multiple activations or securing quick turnarounds was not always feasible, sometimes hindering campaign agility and continuity. The adoption of their AI brand ambassador, Myra Kapoor, has addressed these challenges. “Unlike human ambassadors, an AI model offers consistent availability, quick turnaround times for content creation, and seamless adaptability across platforms and formats. It ensures uniform messaging, removes scheduling dependencies, and allows cost-effective scalability,” says Chatterjee.
Mankind Pharma is piloting several GenAI approaches for content creation and personalisation:
◆ AI-generated visuals: Using ComfyUI with Flux to create original images for social media and marketing campaigns.
◆ Personalised AI influencer content: Using DeepFaceLab to swap faces onto AI-generated images, creating a consistent branded persona.
◆ High-quality output and customisation: Using Flux upscale workflow and Photoshop tweaks to ensure professional, polished visuals.
◆ Targeted personalisation: Content can be adapted for different audience segments or campaigns, aligning with hyper-segmentation and personalised outreach.
The company has already seen tangible benefits. Chatterjee notes, “Myra Kapoor— Manforce’s new brand ambassador—allows us to overcome time and availability constraints by offering scalability, 24/7 availability, and the flexibility to adapt messaging seamlessly across campaigns.”
GenAI has also reshaped the company’s broader engagement philosophy. Chatterjee explains, “It allows us to move beyond one-size-fits-all campaigns toward dynamic, real-time communication that is economical, adaptable, and compliant, ensuring consistency in messaging while meeting the unique needs of each stakeholder with greater speed and relevance.”
Arjun Juneja, Chief Operating Officer, adds, “At Mankind Pharma, we believe AI is not just the future of technology but the future of healthcare. Our vision is to harness its power to make our organisation smarter, more agile, and deeply human in how we serve. We are piloting personalised AI-driven video nudges for our 18,000-strong field force to enhance learning and engagement at scale. We have introduced an AI-powered chatbot that ensures every representative has instant, science-backed answers, whether to refresh their knowledge or respond with confidence in the field. And we have reimagined the packaging of more than 1,000 products through AI, demonstrating how innovation can touch every corner of our value chain. For us, this collaboration with OpenAI is not just about adopting new tools, it is about setting a new benchmark for how Indian pharma can lead globally with innovation, efficiency, and a relentless focus on improving patient lives.”
Conclusion
As more players adopt AI across commercial and operational functions, India is moving closer to redefining its role in global pharma not just as the pharmacy of the world, but as an AI-enabled hub capable of delivering smarter, faster, and more responsive healthcare solutions.