The Silicon Review ^Asia

Novartis and Microsoft are collaborating to explore how to take advantage of advanced Microsoft AI technology combined with Novartis’ deep life sciences expertise to find new ways to address the challenges underlying every phase of drug development which includes research, clinical trials, manufacturing, operations, and finance in India.

In a recent interview, Novartis CEO Vas Narasimhansaid that the need for potential for this alliance to unlock the power of AI will help Novartis accelerate research into new treatments for many of the thousands of diseases for which there is, as yet, no known cure.

For a new compound to make it from initial discovery through development, testing and clinical trials to finally earn regulatory approval it needs almost a decade or more. Nine out of 10 promising drug candidates fail somewhere along the way. As a result, on average, it costs life sciences companies $2.6 billion to introduce a single new prescription drug.

With the depth and breadth of knowledge that Novartis offers in bioscience and Microsoft’s unmatched expertise in computer science and AI, it will be a unique collaboration to reinvent the way new medicines are created. This will help the society to lead the way forward where high-quality treatment and care is significantly more personal, more effective, more affordable, and more accessible.