H1’s Predictions for Healthcare and Pharma in 2025

Drug Pricing, Global Diversity Strategies, & Emerging AI Applications

Each year, we compile our predictions to provide life sciences, pharmaceutical, and healthcare organizations with a comprehensive look at emerging industry trends and dynamics to help them prepare for the year ahead.

These forecasts highlight the key changes poised to transform the healthcare and pharma landscapes. In this edition, our CEO and co-founder, Ariel Katz, along with Regional VP of Trial Landscape, Ryan Brown, share their top predictions for 2025.

Drug Policy

There will be significant changes in clinical trials & drug development due to the Inflation Reduction Act.

“We will begin to feel the unintended consequences of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in the coming year, and it will significantly change the landscape of clinical trials and drug development as we know it.

As pharmaceutical companies shift their focus toward fewer, high-value therapeutic areas in light of the IRA’s drug price negotiations, the overall number of clinical trials will go down. Additionally, we’ll see a move to multi-indication trials to maximize profitability. While this approach aims to improve ROI before potential price controls kick in, it complicates trial design and recruitment, increasing the time it takes to get treatments to market.

Furthermore, as pharma looks to offset future price controls, the prices of new drugs will likely spike. This makes it more difficult for patients to afford treatments and contributes to health inequity. The downstream impacts of the IRA will lead to fewer new drugs entering the market, limiting treatment options for patients.”

— Ariel Katz, CEO & Co-Founder

Clinical Trial Diversity

Novel site collaborations will depoliticize trial-level DEI and drive culturally compassionate care.

“In the evolving landscape of clinical trials, the push for greater diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) has often been fraught with political undertones that can overshadow the genuine need for culturally compassionate care. Emerging models of site collaboration, however, are paving the way to reframe DEI beyond compliance mandates, fostering genuine, inclusive partnerships that resonate with the communities they aim to serve.

By cultivating collaborations rooted in mutual respect and understanding, clinical trial sites are becoming hubs of inclusive health practices– reflected in their increasingly diverse workforce, ability to obtain novel data points from underserved communities to better inform AI models, and unique localized partnerships that support greater patient engagement. These novel approaches not only depoliticize DEI but also ensure that diverse populations receive care that reflects their unique cultural contexts, ultimately driving better trial outcomes and fostering trust within underrepresented communities.

This new era of site collaboration holds the promise of reimagining patient-centricity by focusing on what truly matters—health equity that transcends political divides, transforming trials into instruments of compassionate, culturally attuned care.”

— Ryan Brown, Regional VP, Trial Landscape

Global standards for diversity plans will emerge in 2025.

“In 2025, I predict that there will be global regulations requiring comprehensive diversity plans for all major markets, including the EU and EMEA. As these standards take shape, pharma companies will adopt tools and models to reach broader and more diverse participants.

This will push organizations to develop structured diversity strategies and collaborate across regions. While this will likely bring logistical challenges initially, trials will eventually reflect true global populations and lead to more effective treatments.”

— Ariel Katz, CEO & Co-Founder

Emerging AI Use Cases

Expanded use cases will emerge for AI in clinical trial operations.

“In 2025, we will see companies leverage AI for new use cases to streamline operations, reduce timelines and costs, and improve the likelihood of successful trials. As more clinical ops teams embrace AI, barriers to clinical trial participation will be reduced. AI’s capabilities to integrate and analyze diverse data sources will lead to more precise patient matching and trial design.

Its advanced analytics will predict drop-out rates and forecast adverse effects, and tools like chatbots and personalized apps will enhance engagement and adherence throughout the trial. Once trials are underway, teams will use AI to analyze results, make real-time adjustments based on incoming data, and eventually draft regulatory submissions.”

— Ariel Katz, CEO & Co-Founder

AI will be used to combat rare diseases.

“With nearly 1,000 AI-enabled devices approved, the FDA has strongly supported the use of AI in medicine. In 2025, we will see AI leveraged for faster, more accurate diagnoses in rare disease cases, reducing the rate of more than a quarter of rare disease patients who spend 7+ years until they receive a correct diagnosis (up from 15% from 30 years ago). By connecting symptom patterns and medical histories across dispersed datasets, clinicians will identify rare conditions sooner, reducing the time to diagnosis by years and drastically improving outcomes.

Beyond diagnosis, AI will predict treatment responses, personalize therapies, and uncover new disease patterns. And, in rare diseases where patient populations are limited, AI’s ability to streamline trial design and identify patients most likely to benefit from specific therapies will further accelerate rare disease treatment.”

— Ryan Brown, Regional VP, Trial Landscape

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