Pharma Executives Redefine IT Priorities: Five Stats Signal Urgent Tech Shift

Black Book Research Q2-Q3 proprietary surveys reveal digital health, cybersecurity, and data platforms as the foundation of pharma’s future competitiveness

PHILADELPHIA, PA / ACCESS Newswire / September 10, 2025 / Black Book Research today released results from a proprietary series of industry sector studies conducted in Q2-Q3 2025. Based on responses from 339 senior leaders across biopharmaceutical manufacturers, contract research organizations (CROs), specialty pharma companies, and academic medical research centers, the studies capture the sharp pivot executives are making toward digital health, R&D cybersecurity, and advanced data infrastructure as technology becomes central to competitiveness.

These findings, revealed here for the first time, underscore the rising urgency with which pharma executives are redefining IT priorities in parallel with major sector developments; new AI-enabled discovery platforms, expanded capability centers, and federated data collaborations.

Respondents included Pharma Chief Information Officers, Chief Digital Officers, R&D program heads, and clinical operations executives, roles now carrying equal strategic weight to finance and commercial leadership in reshaping pharma’s future.

Five Stats Pharma Executives Need to Know About IT Now

1. Cybersecurity first: 91% of pharma CIOs report their budgets have doubled since 2023, with genomic data, vaccine R&D, and trial data protection topping the agenda.

2. AI’s acceleration promise: 67% of CRO executives expect AI-enabled platforms to cut Phase II-III timelines by at least 18 months by 2028.

3. Cloud overtakes all else: 69% of biopharma CFOs confirm cloud transformation is now the largest single IT capital spend, accelerated by regulatory harmonization and interoperability demands.

4. Blockchain in play: 52% of specialty pharma leaders report piloting blockchain track-and-trace systems, particularly for high-value therapeutics where counterfeit prevention is urgent.

5. Federated data rises: 68% of academic medical centers confirm deeper collaboration with industry on federated data platforms that enable secure cross-border research while preserving patient privacy.

“Pharma is now a science-plus-data business,” said Doug Brown, President of Black Book Research. “Executives are no longer treating IT as a support function. It is the foundation of competitiveness. These findings show how digital infrastructure, cybersecurity, and AI-enabled R&D are rapidly becoming the core of market strategy. The next five years will separate organizations that invest boldly in digital transformation from those that fall far behind.”

The Q2-Q3 Black Book sector studies highlight the convergence of healthcare IT and life sciences, showing a near-consensus view that the industry’s competitiveness will increasingly rest on secure, data-driven innovation.

About Black Book Research

Black Book™ is the leading independent research and survey company in pharma/biotech healthcare IT, recognized globally for unbiased benchmarking, user satisfaction studies, and vendor evaluations across 36 key performance indicators. Since 2011, over 3.5 million healthcare and life sciences professionals worldwide have contributed to Black Book’s research, making it the trusted source for transparent, vendor-agnostic insights. Pharma and biotech industry stakeholders can request gratis reports at www.blackbookmarketresearch.com.

SOURCE: Black Book Research

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