The widespread disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic is forcing pharmaceutical companies to think more creatively and flexibly about how their business model can accommodate new restraints such as home working, restricted face-to-face contact, travel bans, supply-chain bottlenecks, stalled clinical-trial recruitment, diverted healthcare budgets, closer scrutiny of drug reimbursement, and depleted staffing at regulatory agencies. Digital technology will be a crucial tool in addressing these challenges and softening the pandemic’s multiple potential impacts on drug launches.