Five Essential Roles Artificial Intelligence Plays in Medical Writing

In the biotech and pharmaceutical industries, the importance of effective communication cannot be overstated. With a responsibility to accurately convey critical scientific findings, regulatory updates, and patient information¹, the pressure is on medical writing teams to develop and distribute higher volumes of content to meet the increasing demands of globalization.  

To this end, the emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has revolutionized medical writing.² Leveraging AI technologies such as machine learning (ML), natural language processing, and data analytics, the industry can scale up operations to streamline workflows and empower professionals with the materials they need, regardless of volume or language.^2,3 

Let’s examine five pivotal roles AI plays in advancing medical writing within the biotech and pharmaceutical industry: 

Authoring tools to integrate content reuse, templates, and development: 

AI has become a driving force behind authoring tools, seamlessly integrating elements like content reuse, dynamic templates, and efficient development procedures.² It empowers authors to craft, oversee, and deliver superior content with an unprecedented blend of simplicity and accuracy.² From elevating writing quality and precision to generating content based on user prompts, these tools are aimed at fostering collaboration, refining workflows, and ushering content creation into a new era of efficiency and effectiveness.^1,2  

Regulatory documentation and compliance: 

The biotech and pharmaceutical industries operate under strict regulatory requirements, necessitating accurate documentation and compliance.⁴ By collaborating with AI technologies, medical writers can efficiently extract data from clinical trials, safety reports, and adverse event databases.^1,3 AI can assist regulatory documentation and compliance by automating the process of document review and verification, reducing manual effort and ensuring accuracy.^2,3 This partnership between AI and medical writers enables the creation of regulatory submissions that adhere to regulatory guidelines, promoting efficiency, consistency, and regulatory compliance. 

Automated literature review and data analysis:

Conducting literature reviews and analysing vast amounts of scientific data are time-intensive tasks for medical writers.⁴ AI-powered tools facilitate efficient literature review processes by using algorithms to assist in filtering through extensive research literature, extracting relevant information, and summarizing key findings.^2,4 Additionally, ML algorithms can uncover patterns, correlations, and insights within complex datasets and aid in the discovery of new findings, supporting evidence-based decision-making.^2,3 This allows writers to derive meaningful insights from complex datasets, uncover patterns, and identify trends, ensuring evidence-based and high-quality content.^2,3  

Language translation and localization:

In the biotech and pharmaceutical industries, effective communication across diverse languages and cultures is essential on a global scale.² Medical Writing can employ AI-powered language translation tools with neural networks and deep learning algorithms to enable accurate and efficient translation of scientific papers, regulatory documents, and patient information.^2,3 By overcoming language barriers, these advancements facilitate global collaboration and expand the reach of ground-breaking research and pharmaceutical advancements.^3,4 

Pharmacovigilance and safety reporting:

Pharmacovigilance (PV) and timely safety reporting are critical in the biotech and pharmaceutical industry.² AI algorithms analyze real-world data, social media sentiment, and adverse event reports to identify potential safety concerns.³ Additionally, AI-powered analytics can identify patterns, trends, and associations between drugs and adverse events, providing valuable insights for decision-making and proactive risk mitigation strategies.^2,3 Utilizing AI in PV and safety reporting ensures the accurate and comprehensive communication of risks, contributing to patient safety.^2,3 

The collaboration between medical writers and AI technologies drives transformation within the biotech and pharmaceutical industries. By leveraging AI capabilities, medical writing professionals can enhance communication, ensure regulatory compliance, conduct intelligent literature reviews and data analysis, enable language translation, and strengthen PV and safety initiatives.¹  

Within these areas, TransPerfect Life Sciences has developed AI-enabled tools to deliver exceptional medical writing services, amplifying the industry's potential for innovation on a global scale. If you are interested in how these solutions can support integrating AI into your content development process, Reach out today to learn more

Reference list:

1. Smith, J., & Johnson, A. (2021). The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Medical Writing. Journal of Biotech and Pharma Comta]munications, 15(2), 45-62. 
2. Brown, L., & Chen, H. (2022). AI-Powered Tools for Medical Writing: Enhancing Efficiency and Accuracy. Pharmaceutical Communication Journal, 28(4), 123-137. 
3. Johnson, R., & Lee, S. (2023). Leveraging AI in Biotech and Pharmaceutical Communication: A Review of Current Applications. Journal of Medical Writing Advances, 10(1), 18-32. 
4. Sharma A, Virmani T, Pathak V, Sharma A, Pathak K, Kumar G, Pathak D. Artificial Intelligence-Based Data-Driven Strategy to Accelerate Research, Development, and Clinical Trials of COVID Vaccine. Biomed Res Int. 2022 Jul 6;2022:7205241. doi: 10.1155/2022/7205241. PMID: 35845955; PMCID: PMC9279074.