What will the average pharmaceutical physician be doing in 30 years’ time?

In 2049 the pharmaceutical medicine job market will be radically different – almost unfamiliar – to what we have now.

The traditional research, manufacture and sale of health care products will likely still exist, yet precision-based medicine, comprehensive ‘beyond the pill’ integrated-services and an interconnected array of ‘wearables’ and apps in digital medicine will ensure pharmaceutical physicians are well placed to lead and contribute to a new generation of health care provision.

Our roles will extend even further into already emerging new frontiers, such as advising multinational technology companies, global management consulting, relevant venture capital firms and even stand-alone medical groups situated in artificial intelligence (AI) as a Service (AIaaS), catering to health care, educational and pharmaceutical sectors.

Academia will be peppered with appropriate opportunities. Newly established university chairs will be created in order to align, teach and conduct pertinent research towards our expanding discipline.

Understandably, some of these technology predictions currently do not possess a consensus. The safe and effective integration of AI and machine learning in complex health care settings hinges on how they fare in drug discovery, drug development and drug commercialisation. If this landscape succeeds to some extent at truly improving patients’ lives, then pharmaceutical physicians should be encouraged to continually upskill so they are at the vanguard of these new frontiers.

Ultimately, the outlook for the pharmaceutical physicians of 2049 is very bright. Each and every one of us will be unique, skilled and agile enough to function in a variety of roles. Given this context, all pharmaceutical physicians should endeavour to anticipate what the future will look like for their respective functions, and seek to drive our specialty forward via this myriad of new and exciting opportunities.