News

ACTO Unveils New Version of AI Assistant LAICA for Pharma Field Teams

• By John K. Waters
• 05/14/2025

Life sciences software company ACTO has announced an upcoming release of its next-generation Life Sciences AI Conversational Assistant (LAICA), aimed at improving information access and interaction quality for pharmaceutical field teams. The announcement was made during the Veeva Commercial Summit in Boston.

The updated LAICA platform introduces expanded integration with approved data sources, deeper contextual awareness, and adaptive response capabilities tailored to users’ experience and competency levels. The release is intended to streamline how field teams engage with health care professionals (HCPs) by providing more precise, relevant, and compliant information during pre-call planning and in real-time scenarios.

"When we introduced LAICA three years ago, it was the beginning of a transformation in how field teams access and engage with critical knowledge," said Parth Khanna, CEO of ACTO, in an email. "AI doesn’t stand still — it evolves — constantly learning, adapting, and inferring to deliver more accurate, relevant, and personalized responses. The real magic happens when an AI assistant such as LAICA meets people where they are — understanding their needs, limitations, motivations, and intentions. For LAICA, the benefit of experience coupled with the incredible advances that have been made in AI tech, has resulted in a truly intelligent, role-aware assistant that will deliver personalized, contextual responses and suggestions field teams can rely on in real-time."

Expanded Data Connectivity and Role-Based Intelligence
The new version will connect to several internal pharma content systems and databases, including Veeva Vault PromoMats, MedComms, training repositories, market access data, and real-time customer insights. This will enable LAICA to retrieve promotional, scientific, and operational content more effectively and deliver answers with fewer delays and fewer compliance risks.

The platform also incorporates user-specific training and behavior data to deliver responses based on each field representative’s role, knowledge level, and previous interactions with the system. For example, a less-experienced team member might receive more foundational information, while experienced users could receive detailed analytics or deeper scientific content.

Emphasis on Personalization and Preparation
ACTO says the system’s design reflects a shift toward context-aware digital tools that anticipate the needs of sales and medical teams rather than simply respond to queries. LAICA will also offer proactive suggestions based on user behavior and inquiry history.

The company highlighted LAICA’s utility in enabling faster access to relevant knowledge, reducing time spent searching for content, and improving HCP engagement quality. Internal training managers from early-access customers have cited improvements in pre-call planning workflows and more consistent message delivery across teams.

The announcement comes as pharmaceutical companies increasingly adopt AI to enhance field effectiveness, particularly in customer-facing roles where compliance, accuracy, and personalization are critical.

Availability and Outlook
ACTO positions LAICA as part of its broader Intelligent Field Excellence (IFE) platform, which supports commercial operations in life sciences by unifying sales, medical, and training functions. The platform is compliant with FDA 21 CFR Part 11 and SOC 2 Type II standards.

The rollout reflects a growing trend in the sector to equip field teams with AI-powered assistants capable of bridging data access, training gaps, and contextual decision support in regulated environments.

ACTO has not announced a public release timeline.