In May 2024, French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi announced a three-way collaboration with Formation Bio and OpenAI to develop AI software for drug research.
William Tsai, Sanofi's Head of Public Affairs, Communication, and Market Access for Hong Kong and Taiwan revealed that this partnership aligns with the company's ambitious digital transformation goals for 2030.
Sanofi, the world's sixth-largest pharmaceutical company, operates over 70 locations globally with 86,000 employees. Its product range includes vaccines and treatments for cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and rare diseases. In Taiwan, where Sanofi has been operating since 1982, the company employs around 310 people.
Digital transformation 2030: accelerating drug research with OpenAI
Tsai highlighted that drug development is often time-consuming, costly, and high-risk, with a success rate as low as one in ten thousand. In 2023, Sanofi's research and development expenditure reached EUR 6.7 billion.
The company hopes digitization and AI technology will enhance research efficiency and shorten development timelines. AI can potentially revolutionize various stages of drug development, including disease target identification, drug creation, and clinical translation.
Tsai revealed Sanofi's digital transformation goals for 2030, which include becoming the world's first large-scale AI-driven pharmaceutical company, halving research timelines, and allocating 50% of its resources to innovative projects. Achieving these aspirations requires cross-disciplinary partners to effectively implement AI, hence the partnership with OpenAI.
At the time of the announcement, Sanofi stated that it would provide its data to create customized applications using OpenAI technology. OpenAI's COO, Brad Lightcap, expressed optimism about AI's potential to accelerate drug development, hoping the collaboration would lead to new drugs that benefit patients and their families.
Formation Bio will contribute its expertise in drug development and AI applications.
Digitizing healthcare globally
In Taiwan, Sanofi has been collaborating with Health2Sync for several years on insulin management software for diabetes and is conducting clinical trials. The company has different strategic partners in other countries.
Tsai noted that digital healthcare is flourishing in countries like Iceland, Spain, Sweden, and Austria, which are not traditionally known as pharmaceutical powerhouses. These digital healthcare companies often collaborate with multiple pharmaceutical firms and have numerous cross-disciplinary or international partnerships, indicating a growing trend.
Sanofi's initiatives in Taiwan are also being implemented in Japan and South Korea. With 70 locations worldwide, the company aims to strengthen cooperation with local healthcare professionals.
