The new partners of the Cluster complement our expertise in the pharmaceutical industry and oncology

The digital health ecosystem in Bulgaria is expanding its partner network with the Association of Research-based Pharmaceutical Manufacturers in Bulgaria (ARPharM) and the More-Darzalas Foundation.

American Institute of Medicine (USA) reports that, on average, approximately 75,000 deaths annually in the United States are preventable, and digital health technologies offer a promising solution to this issue. Consequently, in recent years, health information solutions have been increasingly recognized as essential for enhancing access to healthcare services, improving quality, and achieving better outcomes for patients and their families.

The digital transformation of healthcare is a necessary process in which technology plays an increasingly significant role in understanding patients' unique preferences and adapting to their individual contexts. This deeper understanding not only improves care for immediate medical needs but also enables the anticipation of future health requirements. Traditional analog healthcare systems lack the capacity to accommodate this patient-centric approach. As a result, modern healthcare systems are evolving toward integrated health ecosystems.

A health ecosystem consists of interconnected opportunities and services that integrate participants in the value chain through a shared business model and an information-driven foundation. Such an ecosystem is sustainable when all participants collaborate at multiple levels with a clear, forward-thinking vision for the digitalization of the healthcare sector. This transformation leads to improved clinical outcomes and fosters innovative business models within the industry.

The right partners

Over the past two and a half years, the Digital Health and Innovation Cluster Bulgaria has been working hard to promote the adoption of digital transformation by all stakeholders in the sector. This approach ensures that the process can begin as quickly as possible, allowing positive results from the implementation of digital healthcare in the country to become evident within a reasonable timeframe.

Pharmaceutical companies worldwide are key drivers of digitization and innovation. They possess complex clinical knowledge and a deep understanding of the pathology of various diseases. These companies have successfully built a strong identity and a clear sense of where their products best fit within the broader healthcare landscape. However, as data solutions, analytics, and digital health services become inseparable from the continued success of the pharmaceutical industry, there is a clear need for the sector to leverage expert digital expertise. Doing so will enable it to remain competitive while refining its clinical knowledge and disease analysis approaches.

By collaborating, the pharmaceutical and digital industries combine their strengths, resulting in comprehensive technological solutions that enhance clinical outcomes and improve patients' quality of life. To further strengthen collaboration between these industries, key stakeholders in the healthcare sector recently joined Bulgaria’s digital health ecosystem—including the Association of Research-based Pharmaceutical Manufacturers in Bulgaria (ARPharM) and the More-Darzalas Foundation.

Association of Research-based Pharmaceutical Manufacturers in Bulgaria (ARPharM)

ARPharM is a non-profit association that has been bringing together research-oriented pharmaceutical companies from around the world operating on the Bulgarian market for more than twenty years. ARPharM members include 24 international pharmaceutical manufacturers from Europe, the United States, and Japan. Their main activity is to invest in the development of new medicinal products that save or extend human life or significantly improve its quality.

More-Darzalas

More-Darzalas is a non-profit organization founded in June 2015 in Varna. The main goal of the foundation is to improve the thinking, methodology, and practice in the field of Bulgarian clinical oncology.

In the ever-developing digital world, technological solutions not only improve the understanding of health problems and needs but also contribute to the diagnosis, prevention, and effective treatment of diseases. Oncology science is undergoing constant evolution due to evidence emerging in recent years and the growing momentum toward precision medicine. Digital health solutions support and accelerate this progress.

Innovation is needed

Thanks to digital health technologies, data collection, storage, transfer, and analysis—particularly in fields such as radiology—have undergone a true transformation. These advancements support the development of interdisciplinary approaches and teams for the precise diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

Today, medicine is in an even stronger position as the technological momentum of start-up companies drives new advancements in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer. Since the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) launched its oncology innovation challenge in March 2017, significant changes have occurred in how cancer is approached at the clinical level. Start-ups are now actively encouraged to develop innovations in disease diagnosis and treatment. Under this initiative, each participating start-up received between £35,000 and £100,000 in 2018 to advance new approaches for diagnosing and treating certain malignant diseases. This has sparked immense interest in clinical oncology practice in recent years and has laid the foundation for technology to play a crucial role in early diagnosis, precise treatment, and disease prevention.

Despite these advancements, digital health technologies in oncology are still not fully accessible to all patients in need, and many are still undergoing development and validation in clinical practice. However, progress has been substantial. Today, digital technologies provide more accessible and less invasive solutions for patients with various diseases. With each passing day in the digital era, the potential for establishing a comprehensive and effective model for combating cancer and other socially significant diseases becomes increasingly achievable.