Jefferies London Healthcare Conference comes to an end — HBI’s key takeaways
From improving operations and addressing workforce challenges to predicting healthcare deals, the two panels on AI and healthcare at the Jefferies London Healthcare Conference offered interesting insights.
I attended the Jefferies London Healthcare Conference this week, and here are my key takeaways.
The conference addressed both short- and long-term investment opportunities, while highlighting key trends shaping healthcare in the U.S., Europe, and globally.
A recurring theme throughout the conference was healthcare’s potential to leverage data, AI, and digitalisation.
Given the extensive discussions on AI in healthcare, the panel titled Healthcare M&A : Examining Due Diligence in the AI Age, hosted by Datasite, a US-based company providing SaaS solutions for participants in the mergers and acquisitions lifecycle, caught my attention.
The panel featured Adam Sherlock, CEO of Qinecsa Solutions, provider of end-to-end pharmacovigilance solutions; Hardik Madlani, Managing Director of Healthcare Investment Banking at Jefferies; and Keshav Nahar, Principal at Clayton Dubilier & Rice, American private equity company.
Data revealed during the discussion highlighted that the UK & Ireland lead the EMEA region in potential M&A deals, while Technology, Media, and Telecom (TMT) sectors are the top areas for opportunity, with Pharma, MedTech, and Biotech (PMB) ranking fourth. The most promising PMB opportunities are seen in the DACH region and the Nordics.
Madlani predicted that 2025 could be a record-breaking year for healthcare and life sciences private equity transactions. He noted, “As an M&A banker, I think private equity is sitting on significant capital. Many companies are nearing their exit timelines, and we’re already seeing an increase in transaction activity. Next year could be a breakout year as several PE firms approach the end of their holding periods. I’m quite bullish about 2025 being a standout year for M&A deals.”
Nahar shared a similar optimism, reflecting on how 2024 has been a busy year. He remarked, “Compared to 2022 and 2023, which were slow for deals, 2025 looks promising in terms of the volume of assets coming to market. We’re excited about the opportunities. However, our criteria remain the same—we continue to seek high valuations and strong growth.”
With 2025 anticipated to be a “record-breaking” year for healthcare deals, the discussion explored how AI is being utilised in healthcare M&A.
On the portfolio side, private equity is increasingly leveraging AI across various stages — from sourcing and strategising to deal-making, from what I gathered during the discussion.
AI has the potential to significantly transform workflows in deal-making. A survey conducted by Datasite showed that many believe AI will accelerate deals, particularly in due diligence, which is already being reshaped by AI.
However, concerns about data privacy remain, given the sensitive nature of the information involved, and this sentiment was echoed by the panellists.
Nahar stressed on AI’s role in speeding up deals, noting that his IT team ensures compliance with privacy standards. He also highlighted how the healthcare team uses AI to quickly retrieve information and leverage web scraping tools to enhance due diligence research.
The panel also explored AI’s potential for predictive analytics in deal strategy. AI is increasingly being used to analyse market trends and predict potential developments, making it an exciting time for private equity firms. Nahar agreed, adding, “If I were selling a business, I’d want to know who my potential buyers are—AI could be very useful for that.”
Despite the excitement around AI, concerns about over-reliance on it for critical decisions persist. Madlani cautioned, “When managing someone else’s money, especially in private equity, AI can be a helpful tool, but it shouldn’t be relied on entirely.”
Another panel, GenAI Ascends: Powering the Next Wave in Healthcare, hosted by Boston Consulting Group, an American global management consulting firm, provided additional perspectives.
According to data shared during the latter session, while 54% of companies initially reported not fully understanding AI and discouraging its use in 2023, that number dropped to just 2% by 2024. Meanwhile, the percentage of companies experimenting with AI, without formal policies in place, increased from 33% in 2023 to 36% in 2024.
Sanofi, the French multinational pharmaceutical and healthcare company, has been using AI to reduce recruitment timelines, accelerate drug development, and improve the representation of diverse populations in clinical trials.
Given this growing reliance on AI and technology, along with the sharing of sensitive patient data, I found a concerning insight in Jefferies’ Seventh Annual Healthcare Temperature Check, released during the 2024 London Healthcare Conference.
The report revealed that only 2% of survey respondents identified cybersecurity as the biggest risk to healthcare. With the NHS and other healthcare systems worldwide transitioning to digitalization, AI, and increased data usage, cybersecurity should be a top priority. This finding is both surprising and worrying.
HBI has previously reported on the increasing number of cyberattacks on the NHS and healthcare systems worldwide. Click here to read more.
In conclusion, my takeaway from the three-day conference was that AI is set to disrupt healthcare, a sector that is now increasingly being shaped by technology. However, it is a double-edged sword — careful consideration and due diligence should be of utmost priority.
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