AI

CRDMOs must embrace AI to keep pace with big pharma partners - but what is expected of them, which data can they use, where are Indian firms on the adoption curve and does the ‘China Plus One’ business proposition still hold? Leaders discussed these topics at BioAsia.

India pharma leaders emphasize the need for AI integration beyond pilots, calling for an enterprise mindset to drive AI adoption and a focus on re-skilling for ‘everyone’. Discussions touched on AI’s role in driving manufacturing efficiencies and also India’s innovation trajectory.

Having got several pill versions of semaglutide approved, the Danish firm is tapping into external innovation to identify the next generation of oral therapeutics.

Sanofi’s EVP Madeleine Roach details ways in which snackable, generative and expert AI are transforming innovation, helping halve the time for a drug to move from discovery to market. AI has aided a cut in mRNA design time by 50% at the "first AI-powered biopharma at scale."

Google DeepMind’s vice-president, Science and Strategic Initiatives, talks about the potential of the group’s new generation of AI models designed to address problems across biology, heralding a new era of science and medical advances.

A survey of biopharma firms by Jefferies provides a glimpse into how AI is impacting research and development budgets, and exactly where the tech is being deployed.

Pioneering immunologist, Prof. Bruce Levine from UPenn, wears his passion for CAR-T cell therapy on his sleeve as he highlights future uses of the therapy, predictive markers and off-the-shelf CAR-T while speaking about a journey from Kymriah co-inventor to country music co-writer

MSD’s Chief AI Officer talks about how AI is reshaping R&D, enabling the company to double its molecules in discovery, foundational models and leading 'differently' in the age of AI.

About 50 pharmaceutical industry leaders surveyed by Scrip predict 2026 will mark AI's shift from pilot programs to committed operational deployment. However, competitive advantage will depend on organizational transformation and digital infrastructure maturity, not algorithmic sophistication alone.

Among the Chinese AI firms raising new funding, Deep Intelligent Pharma has bagged a total of $110m in two rounds of funding since last December, while Levinthal, OxTium and Aureka have also closed new investment rounds.

Sunshine Pharma plans to invest at least $14m to set up a joint venture with fellow Chinese firm XtalPi, with goals including the discovery and development of novel molecules for autoimmune disorders.

UK major will bag CSPC’s eight preclinical drug candidates in weight management, including most advanced asset SYH2082, a long-acting GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist with once-monthly dosing potential.

From a biofoundry network and pharma industry backed AI research organization to a small-molecule repurposed drug in Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy, experts discuss a number of advances underway as India seeks to move up the innovation ladder.

Conclusion of India-EU talks sets ground for a free trade agreement to cut pharma tariffs, in turn lowering the cost for novel drugs like Novo’s obesity treatment Wegovy, though an investment protection agreement – likely influencing data exclusivity – will be concluded later.

Industry leaders predict pricing uncertainty will force companies to abandon blanket global launches. However, AI platforms will reshape commercial execution and new access models will break down barriers limiting patient reach.

Industry leaders predict that competitive dynamics in 2026 will be fundamentally reshaped by China's speed and cost advantages, forcing western biopharma to rethink what it takes to win. Meanwhile, the sustainability of traditional biotech's role as innovation middleman is called into question.

Execs at Biotech Showcase debated business models and platform monetization strategies for AI drug discovery companies, with some arguing they should develop internal pipelines and others advocating for partnership models.

Europe produces world-class science, but lags behind other regions in translating discoveries into groundbreaking innovations that create jobs and drive economic growth. A new fund from the owners of Novo Nordisk hopes to change that.

Deal Snapshot: The Paris-headquartered group is the latest drugmaker to link up with the artificial intelligence-driven specialist which has recently listed in Hong Kong.

Analyst Pete Lyons said lagging returns are part of a maturity curve for new technology.