The pharmaceutical industry is at its thriving best when applying cutting-edge technology and techniques to projects such as medicine research and vaccine development.
In recent years, leading pharmaceutical companies have started incorporating virtual reality into their toolkits, as part of their efforts to be the pioneers of modern technology.
Here we’re exploring how five of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in the world are leveraging virtual reality to support their goals.
Bayer – Immersive Soft Skills Training with VR
Bayer is one of the most widely-respected healthcare companies in the world, and part of that respect comes from their willingness to be innovative with technology.
In line with this innovative spirit, Bayer has implemented virtual reality across several aspects of the organization with great success, and this is especially visible when it comes to VR soft skills training.
Bayer partnered with VirtualSpeech, who they regard as leaders in this area, to tackle a number of use cases:
- Realistic negotiation training for Bayer’s procurement departments, who use VR to prepare for difficult conversations with clients and customers.
- Job interview training for employees who want to move into a new role internally and need to practice answering career-focused questions.
- Intercultural training to ensure employees in global teams are able to communicate and work effectively regardless of their style of work or cultural background.
This collaboration continues to be highly successful, with the VR training receiving an NPS score of 81.6 and a user feedback score of 9/10 from Bayer’s employees, with one stating that it was the “most engaging training [they’ve] ever done”.
Bayer’s use of VR is not limited to just soft skills. The company is also leveraging this technology as part of their laboratory safety initiatives. In this way, employees can be exposed to dangerous scenarios such as lab fires and learn how to deal with them in a virtual, yet realistic environment.
Similarly, VR can be used to teach about otherwise difficult-to-visualise lab hazards such as air flow, helping lab employees remain safe on the job without being exposed to risks in training.
Virtual reality is allowing Bayer to train employees in these essential skills more effectively, and at incredible scale. There’s no doubt that a pioneering organization like Bayer will continue to be at the forefront of VR in the pharmaceutical industry as the technology continues to develop.
Pfizer – Enhanced Vaccine Manufacturing Training with VR
In 2018, Pfizer began proof-of-concept testing with virtual reality headsets for a variety of use cases. As one of the world’s leaders in pharmaceuticals, embracing new technologies is essential.
This forward-thinking paid off massively in 2020 with the outbreak of the Coronavirus. Pfizer needed to quickly train thousands of new manufacturing workers to deal with the demand for the Coronavirus vaccine, something that would normally take at least a year – and potentially more with pandemic-related restrictions.
By training thousands of new manufacturing employees by using VR, Pfizer circumvented the limitations of traditional training and had manufacturing teams ready to begin vaccine production in just nine months.
This VR training involved:
- Transforming over 100 pages of Standard Operating Procedures into interactive training experiences
- Behavioural training to train users on proper behaviour and movement by using speed and haptic tracking capabilities
- Removing accessibility barriers by using 3D replicas within training
ISM notes that Pfizer’s VR training led to a 40% reduction in total training time and a threefold increase in quality. These are very impressive numbers, especially during a high-pressure period of time.
Since this success, Pfizer has continued to invest in virtual reality on projects such as “digital twin” factories, and simulations to improve compliance with clinical trial protocols. These uses of VR continue to give Pfizer a competitive advantage in the pharmaceutical field.
AstraZeneca – Virtual Reality Learning Academy
In the pharmaceutical industry, standards are understandably very high. As a result, regulatory and sanitization compliance is essential, and training is extremely important. AstraZeneca cleverly tackled this by using virtual reality.
Previously, training for just one stage of AstraZeneca’s manufacturing process could take up to 27 weeks.
In 2022, using in-house expertise, AstraZeneca launched the VR Learning Academy – a state-of-the-art facility which provides a safe and fully immersive environment that uses augmented and virtual reality to mimic the actual plant without stepping foot in advanced medicine manufacturing areas.
New hires spend four weeks in the academy learning foundational skills through interactive classroom sessions, before using VR to access a full-size mock-up of the facility where they can apply their knowledge safely.
AstraZeneca’s VR Learning Academy has several advantages:
- There is zero cost or risk to making a mistake in a VR environment. Whereas in the actual manufacturing plant, a training mistake could render a drug unusable and have high-cost implications or even stop the supply of doses to patients in need.
- It’s efficient – freeing up time from subject matter experts who previously had to conduct live training exercises, allowing them to focus on plant performance while VR does the training.
- It improves inclusivity, as VR training caters to different learning styles, giving new hires the opportunity to learn in a way that meets their needs and removes the fear of failure.
- The virtual environment means AstraZeneca doesn’t need to use irradiated gowns or sterilized training kits, helping meet the company’s sustainability goals.
In the two years after launching the VR Learning Academy, AstraZeneca received over 1,400 bookings to attend sessions, and more than 41% of colleagues at the manufacturing facility have benefited from the training.
As a result of this VR training initiative, AstraZeneca has been able to ensure that new hires gain clear, foundational knowledge in a safe environment, before applying it in their real-world roles. All while reinforcing the company’s commitment to high standards and quality.
Johnson & Johnson – Training Surgeons and Nurses with VR
Johnson & Johnson might be a household name, but that doesn’t stop them from investing in promising innovations in the healthcare space.
In 2017, the company launched the Johnson & Johnson Institute VR training program at their facility in Germany, which has since expanded globally to include facilities in the U.S., Brazil, China, and Japan.
This allows healthcare providers to put on a VR headset and the accompanying handheld devices “to virtually go through the procedural steps and physical motions” of performing complex surgeries and operations such as hip or knee replacements.
This allows surgeons and nurses to practice the same procedure over and over – until they’re fully confident in their abilities – without having to involve real patients.
Johnson & Johnson’s VR training features realistic instruments, implants, and anatomy, which allow for an accurate simulation of a real-life operating room. As well as being immersive and realistic, the training can capture data and evaluate a surgeon’s performance, using analytics to help them improve their skills.
“For younger surgeons, VR gives them the confidence they need, because you can do the procedure as often as you want until you feel comfortable. That’s a big step forward,” said David Badri, Virtual Reality Lead, WW Professional Education, Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices.
According to the Johnson & Johnson Institute’s data, they have more than 50 sets of VR equipment worldwide, with more than 90% of those testing it saying they would use it again and recommend it to others.
Additionally, in a study conducted by Imperial College London, 83% of residents in a VR-trained group were able to perform the procedure with little or no guidance. No one in the conventionally trained group (non-VR) was able to do the same.
There’s no doubt that Johnson & Johnson will continue to drive technological innovation in the pharmaceutical space, with virtual reality playing a big role in that.
GlaxoSmithKline – Designing a Manufacturing Facility with AR
As a pharmaceutical industry leader, GlaxoSmithKline’s (GSK) manufacturing facilities must comply with the highest regulatory standards. To meet these challenging demands, GSK turned to augmented reality.
The company’s Aseptic Manufacturing Facility in County Durham required the equipment and plant to be an exact match for the design they had created.
GSK worked with BakerHicks to create a customized AR app which allowed the project team to “bring the facility to life” using Microsoft HoloLens.
Using the AR headset offered the engineering team a clear advantage: The ability to walk through the facility wearing the headset (which acts as a self-contained holographic computer). This allowed them to view the AR model overlaid on the real-world environment, providing a visual way to compare the two and identify any inconsistencies.
The headset has the ability to record what the wearer is seeing as they walk through the facility, and any issues identified can be recorded in photographic form, allowing them to easily be communicated to the project manager and contractor to be resolved.
As EPM highlights, GSK is “a highly innovative company and is willing to push boundaries to drive better project delivery” – this means using AR technology to meet the rigorous requirements needed to build a modern manufacturing facility.
Bringing VR Training to Your Organization
If you want to take the next step and implement VR training in your organization, get in touch and find out how VirtualSpeech’s award-winning soft skills training can support your learners just like it does for Bayer.
