The Southeast Asia (SEA) region’s role in healthcare innovation, long bolstered by Singapore’s commitment to serve as a global biomedical hub, is positioned for unparalleled opportunity. The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) in biotech and pharma advancements is creating new frontiers for the broader region.

A key takeaway from a recent forum of regional leaders hosted by Vietnam’s FPT was the growing need for cross-border collaboration to cement the future of AI in biomedicine. While new investment into the biomedicine sector will accelerate growth, the enablement of new partnerships will play an equally significant role in the region’s capability to develop and elevate healthcare around the world.  

Collaborations Are Key to Innovation

The broader healthcare industry is undergoing a seismic shift, driven by advancements in AI, digital platforms, and connectivity. As the sector continues to evolve, organisations must leverage cutting-edge digital solutions to improve patient outcomes, enhance operational efficiencies, and accelerate innovation. AI’s strength through augmentation provides healthcare professionals with the opportunity to spend more time and effort towards patients while assisting in more accurate diagnostic results at greater speeds.

AI and GenAI are transforming the pharmaceutical industry, with key benefits including accelerating new drug development and enhancing clinical trials across the value chain. Beyond reducing time-to-market, AI also helps shorten time-to-people—enabling faster research, supporting fail-fast approaches, and streamlining patient recruitment to shorten clinical trials process while still provide science-based and evidence-based results. All to get the medication for those in need sooner. Building synergies between AI specialists, biomedical researchers, clinicians, industry partners, and policymakers will be critical to drive innovation and accelerate the translation of AI-driven biomedical solutions from the lab to the clinic. 

Recent data shows 80% of pharma professionals use AI for drug discovery, with 95% of companies investing in it; and AI can cut drug development time from 5-6 years to one. In clinical trials, AI can reduce costs by 70% and timelines by 80%. 

New markets within the SEA region are emerging as key players in the AI roadmap for the pharmaceutical industry. For one, Vietnam is witnessing a moment for digital transformation, with plans to develop a centralised data system and AI lab pilots in 2025, blockchain trials in 2026 to fight counterfeit drugs, and a 20% reduction in drug trial time by 2027. While the country is well on its way to becoming ASEAN’s leading AI hub by 2028, further breakthroughs are necessary to underpin the advancements.

As Vietnam pursues its 2045 high-income vision, healthcare emerges as a key pillar for quality of life, social security, and sustainable growth. Vietnam’s ambitious Resolution 57 objectives, grounded in achieving breakthroughs in science and technology, will require several key drivers. Firstly, the country will lean on big data to drive healthcare innovation, enabling faster drug development and personalised care. Secondly, bold legal and institutional reforms are essential to match tech advances, including streamlined approvals and flexible data regulations. Lastly, strong public-private collaboration is vital to build a sustainable innovation ecosystem connecting tech firms, hospitals, research institutes, and startups.

According to Dr. Truong Gia Binh, FPT Chairman, the emphasis on strong public-private collaboration is vital to build a sustainable innovation ecosystem connecting tech firms, hospitals, research institutes, and startups. Pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, doctors, and pharmacists must collaborate based on data integration. Additionally, the region needs to train a workforce proficient in IT, AI, chemistry, and biochemistry. 

AI is already transforming healthcare 

The transformation is already underway, with AI driving faster, smarter decisions and accelerating advancements in drug discovery, diagnosis, and patient care. Medical devices are becoming more advanced, integrating AI and digital platforms to improve diagnostics and personalised care. Software for imaging tools like CT, MRI, X-rays, and endoscopy now includes AI-driven analytics, supporting them in delivering faster, more accurate diagnoses.

Beyond individual devices, digital platforms are connecting multiple technologies and centralising data, offering a complete view of patient health. Real-time data analysis enables early detection of issues and supports remote monitoring, reducing hospital visits. Innovations such as telemedicine and real-time patient health monitoring are helping expand healthcare accessibility, bringing more innovative, efficient, and patient-centric solutions to the industry. 

As these systems evolve, AI is not only optimising diagnostics and workflows but also enabling more adaptive, personalised models of care, shaping healthier lifestyles rather than merely responding to illness. This marks a fundamental shift in how healthcare supports people: continuously, proactively, and contextually.

The future of healthcare will lean on AI and Big Data to build a comprehensive digital healthcare ecosystem, offering fast, efficient, and accessible services for regulatory agencies, medical institutions, pharmaceutical companies, pharmacy networks, and the general public. Vietnam is in the position to help optimise operations across the entire industry, including digitising the pharmaceutical research and development process. AI leaders like FPT are already helping industry players implement advanced pharmacy omnichannel systems and develop a comprehensive drug management platform that seamlessly connects patients, doctors, and pharmacies through electronic medical records. The platform has been adopted by leading organisations such as Long Chau Pharmacy, Hitachi Medical Devices, Olympus, MedAdvisor, Zuellig Pharma, and BrightInsight.

As the industry continues to evolve, those that invest in AI, Big Data, cloud computing, and end-to-end software solutions will be best positioned to drive innovation and improve patient care. The pharma and the future of healthcare is on the cusp of a transformative era. By propelling innovation, implementing guardrails and securing collaboration within the industry and between heavyweights in the region, SEA is primed to dominate the delivery of a new era in healthcare.

-ends-