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Susanne Gruber

Pharma & Digital Health – A Long-Term Relationship or Just a Quick Affair?

Inside pharma, no two companies look alike—and that’s exactly why digital therapeutics (DTx) land so differently. From how revenue is made to who actually owns the company, structure and incentives shape whether DTx becomes a bolt-on pilot or a durable growth engine. Done right, DTx doesn’t just add a feature; it changes the business you’re in.

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DTx success is driven less by code than by context: the pharma business model and ownership structure—paired with disciplined, cross-functional execution—determine whether partnerships scale or stall.

Not all pharma pursues digital for the same reasons. An innovator with in-house R&D sees DTx as a way to amplify launches and defend blockbusters; a licensing-led player treats it as a portfolio complement; a generics company looks for low-cost, high-reach companions. Family-owned firms can play a longer game; publicly traded giants optimize for near-term returns. Those choices cascade into the kinds of DTx that win: around-the-drug use cases that find patients, support behavior, drive adherence, manage side effects, collect real-world data, and streamline delivery—plus regulated products (pDTx) in markets like Germany (DiGA) and France (PECAN), or PDURS in the U.S. The pattern is consistent: concrete business need, scalable design, zero risk to the Rx, an efficient go-to-market, and a small coalition of sponsors that stays in place as the work gets real.

When Pilots Grow Up:
Turning DTx into a Real Business

What you’ll learn

The two context levers that shape DTx outcomes: pharma business model (innovator, in-licensing, generics) and ownership structure (public, family-controlled, privately held)
High-impact around-the-drug use cases: patient identification, behavioral support, adherence, delivery support, differentiation/patent defense, real-world data, side-effect management, and trial enablement
Where regulated reimbursement exists (e.g., DiGA/PECAN) and how PDURS expands drug+SaMD models in the U.S.
The five execution checkpoints for DTx: solve a real business need, design for multi-market scale, protect the Rx, run a lean GTM, and secure cross-functional sponsors
Ten partnership “must-haves” for pharma–startup success: relationship depth, readiness realism, sales-scenario planning, joint GTM & KPIs, compliance fluency, stable core team, clear governance, cultural empathy, and relentless, transparent communication

Susanne Gruber is a Strategic Healthcare Advisor spending more than 20 years in the healthcare industry. She had multiple international leadership positions at Novartis Pharma before joining Sidekick Health as VP Pharma Partnerships. Susanne has proven expertise in developing business models and launching digital health solutions for various diseases in multiple markets. As a seasoned healthcare advisor she supports healthcare start-ups and life science companies on business models and commercialization of Digital Therapeutics.