The pharma industry today is facing a complex and difficult situation. Digitizing industries are entering the healthcare market with innovations that have the potential to change the way healthcare is provided to people. Customer groups demand the same level of digital services that they experience in other sectors. Beyond that, practitioners and payers expect solutions that use digital innovation to drive efficiency and increase the quality of healthcare service provision. Pharma companies face a situation in which parts of its business may be disrupted by new market entrants, whereas other areas will be suited to a traditional business model for many more years. In this article, Ulrica Sehlstedt, Nils Bohlin, Fredrik de Maré and Richard Beetz of Arthur D. Little, outline the nature and origins of the disruptive pressure on the pharmaceutical industry and how companies should transform themselves to respond to the challenges and opportunities arising from this new era of digitalization.