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The basics:

• Novo Nordisk partners with OpenAI to deploy AI in drug development
• AI will speed discovery, analyze data, identify new therapies
• Collaboration also targets manufacturing, supply chain efficiency
• Full AI integration planned by the end of 2026

Pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk is teaming with OpenAI to deploy artificial intelligence in an effort to speed up drug development.

The Danish company said the collaborationwill pilot AI to analyze complex datasets, identify promising new drugs and reduce the time it takes for a medicine to move from the research stage to patient use.

The maker of blockbuster GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy and Ozempic also said it will tap Open-AI’s technology to improve efficiency in manufacturing, supply chains, distribution and corporate functions. OpenAI will also assist Novo Nordisk in upskilling the company’s global workforce and enhancing AI literacy, the companies said.

An April 14 press release did not disclose terms of the deal. The partners noted the collaboration “has been structured with strict data protection, governance and human oversight to ensure ethical and compliant use.”

Full integration is planned by the end of 2026, they said.

‘The next era’ of health care

Novo Nordisk CEO and President Mike Doustdar described the partnership as “one important step” to position his company “to lead in the next era of healthc are.”

“There are millions of people living with obesity and diabetes who need treatment options, and we know there are therapies still waiting to be discovered that could change their lives,” he said. “Integrating AI in our everyday work gives us the ability to analyse datasets at a scale that was previously impossible, identify patterns we could not see, and test hypotheses faster than ever.

“This means discovering new therapies and bringing them to market faster than ever before.”

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman added, “AI is reshaping industries and in life sciences, it can help people live better, longer lives. This collaboration with Novo Nordisk will help them accelerate scientific discovery, run smarter global operations, and redefine the future of patient care.”

Novo Nordisk has its U.S. headquarters in Plainsboro. The company noted this move builds on existing AI initiatives with other technology partners and research organizations.

AI is reshaping industries and in life sciences, it can help people live better, longer lives.
– Sam Altman, OpenAI CEO

Those partnerships include a collaboration with Nvidia to “accelerate drug discovery efforts through innovative AI use cases,” CNBC reported.

Gaining traction

Pharmaceutical companies are increasingly using AI to speed up and simplify clinical development. The wide range of applications include integration the technology, including the discovery phase, formulation and dosage testing, according to research published in Pharmaceutics.

Fierce Pharma noted that OpenAI has forged collaborations in recent years with several large drugmakers, such as Eli Lilly, Moderna, Sanofi and Formation Bio.

Novo Nordisk’s new partnership comes as it looks to regain an edge in the key diabetes and obesity markets against rival Eli Lilly.

Novo Nordisk’s once-daily Wegovy pill is gaining strong traction in the U.S. since hitting the market earlier this year. However, it will face competition from Eli Lilly’s newly approved oral version.

Compared with injectables, oral medications are cheaper to manufacture and generally easier for patients to administer. As a result, pharmaceutical companies are racing to bring weight loss pills to a space expected to be worth $100 billion by the 2030s, according to CNBC.