Do you need a science background to work in life sciences sector investment??

I see actually a lot of people come from standard econ backgrounds then join the pharma/life sector either in banking or equity research all the time.

but on many JD of life science/healthcare investment roles, they always state that life science background is required and I had experience get dinged by hiring manager purely because of this. (because he was some PhD in some science)

I understand that you might have a bit better understanding of the overall technical side but no way you understand specifically how things work for that specific sub-sector or drug, my question is is it realistic to break into life science and healthcare investment from an artsy background but some experience in pharma finance role??