SAN FRANCISCO, Jan 26 (GeokHub) — Artificial intelligence has yet to revolutionize drug discovery by consistently producing breakthrough medicines, but it is already transforming some of the most time-consuming and costly parts of pharmaceutical development, industry executives say.
Drugmakers are increasingly using AI to identify clinical trial participants, select trial sites, and prepare regulatory documents — steps that can shave weeks off processes that traditionally require large teams and outside contractors. Executives from major pharmaceutical companies and smaller biotechnology firms shared their experiences at the recent JPMorgan Healthcare Conference.
Developing a new drug can take up to a decade and cost as much as $2 billion, according to industry estimates. Companies including Eli Lilly, which has partnered with chipmaker Nvidia, are betting that AI can improve efficiency across development pipelines and ultimately boost the success rate of new medicines.
Efficiency Gains, Not Yet Breakthrough Drugs
While AI has not yet delivered a wave of new, AI-designed medicines, its impact on operational efficiency is becoming clearer. Consultancy McKinsey has estimated that so-called agentic AI — systems capable of operating with limited human oversight — could lift clinical development productivity by 35% to 45% over the next five years.
Israel-based Teva Pharmaceutical Industries said it is deploying AI across multiple workflows to reduce administrative burdens and refocus efforts on bringing drugs to market.
“Everything else around that needs to be as efficient and as small as possible,” Teva Chief Executive Richard Francis said, describing AI-driven digitization and process improvements as an increasingly important competitive advantage.
Regulatory Paperwork a Key Target
Executives from AstraZeneca, Roche and Pfizer, as well as biotech firms such as Spyre and Nuvalent, described managing thousands of pages of regulatory documents covering clinical results, safety data and manufacturing details.
These filings must remain consistent across multiple countries, often requiring costly third-party support. AstraZeneca Chief Financial Officer Aradhana Sarin said AI tools are helping streamline this process by automating cross-checks and documentation.
Venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz is also backing startups targeting what it calls drug development’s “messy middle,” including trial enrollment. Partner Jorge Conde described patient recruitment as a “leaky funnel” and said AI can improve outreach, screening and scheduling.
Early Results From Major Trials
Swiss drugmaker Novartis turned to AI in 2023 while launching a 14,000-patient cardiovascular outcomes trial for its cholesterol drug Leqvio. According to Chief Medical Officer Shreeram Aradhye, AI reduced a site-selection process that typically takes weeks to a two-hour meeting, allowing the company to complete enrollment with minimal overshoot.
“AI becomes augmenting intelligence, not artificial intelligence,” Aradhye said, adding that time savings can amount to several months over a full development program.
Cost Savings and Wider Adoption
British drugmaker GSK said its use of AI and digital tools has helped accelerate clinical trials by about 15%, saving roughly £8 million ($10.9 million) last year during late-stage studies of its asthma drug Exdensur, which received U.S. approval last month.
Danish biotech Genmab plans to deploy Anthropic’s Claude chatbot-powered agentic AI to automate post-trial analysis and reporting, while Germany’s ITM said it has developed AI tools to convert lengthy trial reports into U.S. FDA-ready formats.
At Amgen, research chief Jay Bradner said AI is already delivering results across development and regulatory workflows.
“What everybody’s waiting for is the AI drug,” Bradner said. “I actually think those molecules are in pipelines right now.”
