Sanofi has collaborated with Formation Bio and OpenAI to harness AI to expedite drug development.

To streamline the process of bringing new medicines to patients, the companies will combine their data, software and tuned models to create purpose-built solutions across the development lifecycle of the drugs.

Sanofi will offer extensive data, leveraging OpenAI's AI technology expertise and Formation Bio's experience at the nexus of pharma and AI.

Together, they will develop custom solutions throughout the drug development lifecycle, marking a pioneering alliance in the pharma sector.

Sanofi is the first biopharma company to operate on an AI-powered model at scale, providing valuable data to develop future models.

Sanofi CEO Paul Hudson stated: “This unique collaboration is the next significant step in our journey to becoming a pharmaceutical company substantially powered by AI.

“Next-generation, first-of-its kind AI model customisation will be an important foundation in our efforts to shape the future of drug development for pharma and the many patients waiting for innovative treatments.”

OpenAI’s AI expertise comprises model fine-tuning, deep AI capabilities, partnership and resources.

Formation Bio will provide its tech-powered drug development platform for the design, development and set-up of AI technologies across all pharma lifecycle aspects.

OpenAI COO Brad Lightcap stated: “There is massive potential for AI to accelerate drug development. We are excited to collaborate with Sanofi and Formation Bio to help patients and their families by bringing new medicines to market.”

The latest development comes after Sanofi announced an investment exceeding €1bn ($1.07bn) to expand biomanufacturing expertise at its sites in France.

It will enhance capacity at its sites in Vitry-sur-Seine (Val de Marne), Le Trait (Seine-Maritime) and Lyon Gerland (Rhône).