We are the Internet: Applying the “Internetness of Things” to the Life Sciences Industry

Joseph Gaspero | Center for Healthcare Innovation | February 13, 2011

Information is at the center of all that pharmaceutical companies do. Information on lab testing, clinical trials, FDA assessment results, physician feedback, and marketing and sales effectiveness is what drives the life sciences in making decisions. The Internet was the Genesis of the modern “Age of Information”.

However, the pharmaceutical industry continues to search for new and creative ways to push the boundaries of what the Internet can do. One of these methods is known as the Internet of things, which is connecting everyday ordinary items, such as groceries, vehicles, or even our own bodies, to the Internet, thus creating an interconnectedness of all things.

Since our own bodies are also an object, the Internet of things trend has implications for healthcare entities, particularly life sciences companies. At the core of the idea is equipping items with sensors and identification devices to create a network. These sensors would be able to record and transmit information about an object, thus making the object itself a component of the internet or information network.

The technology makes any object a “smart” object connected to a vast world of information. For instance, patients can now wear sensors that automatically track and transmit patient health data to doctors and other caregivers. In emergency situations, a patient’s medical records, including past history, prior medical conditions, and allergies, could be stored on a sensor, providing medical personnel fast access to important patient care information.

Sensors could be installed on prescriptions, allowing a record of drug consumption. This same idea could be used to prevent counterfeit drugs and prescriptions.