London, UK – June 2025: This year’s EphMRA Annual Conference, held in London, brought together global leaders in healthcare insights and pharmaceutical market research to spotlight two transformative forces shaping the industry, the growing influence of AI and the centrality of the patient voice.

Tanvi Bahl and Yash Sharma from GRG Health attended the event, which emphasized how artificial intelligence is not here to replace researchers, but to elevate the speed, quality, and real-world relevance of insights all while keeping the human perspective at the core. Across keynotes and panels, one message echoed loud and clear that technology must serve empathy, and patients must be seen not just as subjects, but as active contributors throughout the healthcare journey.

Key Themes & Speaker Insights from EPHMRA 2025,

1. The Future of Insights in Market Research
Blending AI with traditional research models is making it possible to generate insights faster without compromising the depth of context. This hybrid approach is enabling researchers to respond more dynamically to market realities.

2. Using AI to Unearth Past Stories to Guide Future Decisions
AI-powered case studies demonstrated how historical patient experiences can be mined to surface unmet needs and guide future innovations more accurately.

3. From Glitches to Insights, The Journey of AI Avatars in Healthcare Research
AI avatars, once experimental, are now scalable tools for virtual moderation. While cost-effective, these solutions still require human oversight to maintain quality and depth.

4. Human Out the Loop? When Human Input Can Hinder Insights
Speakers highlighted that excessive human filtering may dilute genuine patient sentiment. The takeaway: let AI manage data mechanics while humans lead with interpretation and empathy.

5. Long Live Ethnography, Learnings from a Menopause Case Study
Digitally supported ethnographic research continues to provide rich, lived experiences that are especially vital in complex and underrepresented therapy areas.

6. Evolving Market Research, Designing Dynamic Deliverables for a Sustainable Future
AI is enabling the development of visual, interactive reports that reduce waste and speed up stakeholder engagement, aligning research with sustainability goals.

7. Patient Voice becoming the Red Thread Through the Drug Development Lifecycle
Experts emphasized the importance of involving patients across every stage of drug development, from protocol design to post-launch communication, ensuring outcomes are more aligned with real-world needs.

8. The Virtual Moderator Evolution, Know How AI Chatbots Are Driving Innovation in Healthcare MR
AI chatbots are creating more natural and engaging research conversations, especially when handling sensitive topics, prompting important discussions on tone, trust, and data ethics.

9. Listening to Communities That Are Often Missed
Several sessions focused on expanding inclusivity by reaching underrepresented populations, including LGBTQIA+ communities and ethnic minorities, to improve data accuracy and equity.

10. How Simulated Cases Reveal Healthcare Professionals’ Decision-Making
Simulated patient scenarios are emerging as powerful tools to study how clinicians think and make treatment decisions in real-world-like settings without patient risk.

The key message from EPHMRA 2025 was clear. It says patients are not just participants; they are true partners. AI is not about replacing people but it’s about helping them focus on what matters most empathy, strategy, and making ethical decisions.

As a company committed to delivering actionable, human-centred healthcare insights, GRG Health recognizes the value of these evolving frameworks. The integration of AI, combined with a renewed emphasis on inclusivity and patient partnership, is set to define the future of market research.

About GRG Health
GRG Health is a global healthcare market research and intelligence firm specializing in hard-to-reach audiences, rare diseases, neurology, oncology, and advanced therapies. With a strong network of healthcare professionals and strategic thinkers, GRG Health provides customized research and insights to help healthcare organizations navigate access, innovation, and patient-centric strategies across markets.

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