DEVELOPING DIGITAL PHARMA CAPABILITIES IN POST-COVID-19 HEALTH CARE ECOSYSTEMS: A NARRATIVE REVIEW
COVID-19 changed the business model of healthcare and accelerated the need for digital pharma. In the meantime, the literature on digital capabilities in pharma is still evolving. This paper aims to bridge this gap by proposing a conceptual model for digital pharma capabilities (DPC). Using a narrative literature approach based on elements of digital capabilities (DC), pharmaceutical technology, and emerging literature on disruptions in healthcare ecosystems, this paper constructs an integrative conceptual model to explain DC in pharma. This study focuses on the four capabilities that comprise the DPC conceptual model: digital technology, responsiveness, the digital ecosystem, and data management. Also listed are the technologies and applications that enable these capabilities. The conceptual model offered can provide valuable insights that must be validated and enhanced through more empirical study. This study contributes to the advancement of the DC literature by developing a detailed conceptual model to aid practitioners and researchers in gaining a better understanding of DPC, which plays a role in the healthcare ecosystem and has potential performance outcomes in the post-COVID-19 era.
Digital pharma capability, digital technology, healthcare ecosystem, pharmaceutical company, COVID-19