Next big leap in Indian pharma’s digital journey, AI-led automation takes centre stage: Archimedis Digital Report 

• 55.6% of Indian pharma companies are partially implementing digital transformation initiatives
• AI, cloud, and automation are becoming critical enablers for quality and compliance
• Digital shift moves beyond cost-cutting to strategic quality outcomes and regulatory confidence

India's pharmaceutical sector is finally catching up to the digital revolution, and it's about time. As one of the world's largest generic medicine suppliers, the industry has been surprisingly slow to ditch paper-based systems for something more sophisticated than a filing cabinet. The new Archimedis Digital report reveals that most companies are stuck in digital purgatory—not quite analog dinosaurs, but not exactly Silicon Valley unicorns either.

The timing couldn't be more critical. Rising regulatory scrutiny means pharma companies can no longer rely on crossing their fingers and hoping inspectors don't notice their quality control spreadsheets from 2003. With complex biologics and combination products becoming the norm, managing everything manually is like trying to perform brain surgery with a butter knife. The companies that embrace AI-led automation now will have a significant advantage over those still debating whether to upgrade from fax machines.

What's particularly interesting is the shift from viewing digitalization as a cost-cutting exercise to recognizing it as a strategic necessity. This isn't just about saving money on paper clips anymore—it's about building resilient quality ecosystems that can handle increasingly complex regulatory environments. The pharmaceutical industry's digital transformation may have started later than other sectors, but when it comes to patient safety and regulatory compliance, better late than never takes on a whole new meaning.