Right now, every CEO is wondering the same thing: “How can artificial intelligence help maximize our impact?” Delivering on the promise of AI isn’t just good business, it has the potential to help us address some of society’s most pressing challenges. So today, I wanted to offer a closer look at how AI is helping us discover new medicines at Novartis. The process of identifying a new drug, running patient clinical trials, and bringing it to market takes over a decade. Each new medicine costs on average $2 billion to develop, and we know nearly 9 in 10 of the treatments we work on will fail before they ever reach patients. A major early step in that process is identifying individual targets in the body that we want to design a drug for. Once we identify that target, which most commonly is a protein, we look for molecules that might address the target’s underlying issue – ultimately those molecule structures form the basis for every successful treatment. Unlocking the right protein and molecular structures is complex stuff – each step often takes years to get right and our scientists consider billions of potential chemical structures that might lead to effective and safe drug candidates. AI offers us the chance to accelerate that process. Working with partners at Isomorphic Labs – including members of the Google DeepMind team that were awarded the Nobel Prize this year – we’re now able to do things like model how a protein folds and interacts with the molecules we design. AI models also make it possible for us to analyze different chemical structures simultaneously. It has the potential to add up to significant time savings for our drug development scientists and their work to predict what molecules might treat specific diseases better and faster. We’re just at the beginning of what this technology can do. As we incorporate AI throughout Novartis’ work, I’m excited to see all the ways it helps us unlock the mysteries of human biology, so we can deliver better medicines that improve and extend patients’ lives.
Thank you Vas for being an incredible champion of innovation in how we discover and develop drugs. Agree this is just the beginning, but already so much impact—honored to be part of the journey and very excited about the future!
As a firm believer in the transformative power of AI, I am thrilled to see Novartis leveraging this technology to accelerate drug development. The ability to model protein folding and analyze chemical structures simultaneously has the potential to revolutionize the way we approach medicine. It is exciting to think about the possibilities of AI in unlocking the mysteries of human biology and ultimately delivering better treatments to patients. I applaud Novartis for their commitment to innovation and look forward to seeing the continued impact of AI in the healthcare industry.
Thank you for the insightful note on the role of AI in the drug discovery and development. To sum up the whole drug discovery and development process: Duration from bench to bed: ~10 years Current estimates of cost: $2 billion Success rate: ~10% or less Other fields share some similarities, but none encapsulate the same combination of unpredictability, regulatory hurdles, and financial risk. The ability of current AI technologies to expedite the 'process of failure' in drug candidate development represents a significant advancement, as it could reduce both the cost and time involved in the process. It is interesting to note the repurposing of existing drugs for new indications, such as Baricitinib's transition from treating rheumatoid arthritis to COVID-19, and BXCL501, an oral thin-film formulation of dexmedetomidine by BioXcel Therapeutics was brought to market in record time with the use of AI technologies. I am sure the development of entirely new drugs from scratch for existing disorders taking advantage of AI technologies is certainly in progress. Such drugs reaching approval stage is imminent with the ongoing collaborations between leading AI technology firms and major drug discovery corporations such as Novartis.
Thank you for explaining that so clearly and effectively to the community. Your ability to communicate complex ideas in such an engaging way is truly remarkable. You are an exceptional storyteller and an equally effective leader, much like the visionary businessman you are. Thank you for your efforts in reimagining medicine and driving innovation forward.
It's fascinating to see AI's potential in drug discovery at Novartis. A great example is Atomwise, which uses AI to predict the binding of small molecules to proteins. Their AI platform has analyzed over 10 million compounds, reducing drug discovery time by 60%. P.S. AI should be utilized for the revenue growth of drugs?
I am looking forward to seeing what the future will hold for us Vas. AI can be a big game changer for pharma and we are here for it.
Emerging technologies can be our friend when it is designed and delivered thoughtfully. Trusting of A.I. can take us into healthier and potentially even happier future. Creating these new systems with diverse panels for user testing, our productivity and time could be optimized.
It's absolutely true, great move! We have already noted significant changes in the market. If the pharmaceutical industry doesn't embrace AI transformation, it risks becoming outdated. Since AI was established, things are moving quicker than usual. I hope AI will helps to identify risks more faster and ensure the safety of subjects in the era of drug development. By accelerating drug development, it can significantly impact on overall project budgets and minimize human errors. It’s definitely a game-changer!
This is awesome—turning drug discovery from guesswork into precision. Here’s what I’m curious about: Do you think AI will uncover drug types we’d never even think to look for?
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1wRespected Sir , Before Entire World become a Medical Emergency country or State . Artificial Intelligence must save Life science Integration complex process , Health Care Management system , Technology driven companies and Must bring Revolutionary effects in Quality Education . I am an Indian , I know the Root cause of Destruction in Human civilization and it can only be solved by ( HI) ✨ Human Intelligence ✨ not by AI - Artificial Intelligence . Money is a Promisary note as well as Money is Power when We the People put Life 🧬 on Life . AI is not Power , HI is Real power .