Thermo Fisher, Lundbeck Announce New OpenAI Partnerships Advancing AI in Drug Development

On October 27, Thermo Fisher Scientific and Lundbeck both announced new collaborations with OpenAI. These moves represent a continuing trend of drug development companies inking deals with technology providers to leverage artificial intelligence (AI).

Thermo Fisher integrates OpenAI into Accelerator Drug Development platform

While Thermo Fisher and OpenAI’s partnership was officially unveiled earlier in October,¹ Thermo Fisher will be showcasing the abilities of its Accelerator Drug Development solution—now featuring OpenAI integration—at CPHI Frankfurt 2025.²

As part of the collaboration with OpenAI, Thermo Fisher will be embedding Open AI APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) into areas of its business including product development, service delivery, customer engagement, and operational efficiency.

Other highlights of the collaboration include:

• Integration of OpenAI into Thermo Fisher’s PPD clinical research business, with the goal of shortening clinical trial timelines.
• Leveraging AI to identify therapies less likely to succeed earlier in development, allowing customers to reallocate resources toward higher-potential candidates.

In August, Applied Clinical Trials caught up with Thermo Fisher’s Luke Wilson, senior director, biotech, pharma services, to discuss the importance of real-time data visibility in trials. While doing so, Wilson also highlighted how the Accelerator Drug Development program provides consistency across the supply chain and single data sources.

In the video interview, Wilson said: “I think for biotechs, typically what we're seeing now—and probably now, more than ever—is they have fantastic products that they've developed. They have very aggressive timelines, and they have budgets that they need to adhere to. The way that we think about data and how it enables biotech and enables the industry is, if you think about partnerships and multiple suppliers in the supply chain, the more data they can provide to the biotech, the more actionable data.”

Lundbeck deploys ChatGPT to drive innovation across global workforce

Meanwhile, Lundbeck’s new collaboration with OpenAI will see ChatGPT deployed across its global workforce. Together, the companies will explore AI-driven use cases spanning research and development, and commercial functions.³

Following a successful pilot program, Lundbeck has already seen efficiency gains.

In a press release, Claus Thomsen, SVP, global IT, Lundbeck, said: “This collaboration is about giving our people new ways to generate insight and deliver impact. By integrating AI into our daily processes, we’re unlocking new levels of efficiency and innovation, bringing science and technology together to improve outcomes for people living with brain disorders.”

SandboxAQ and Mumtalakat form $1 billion AI-driven biotech partnership

Also on October 27, SandboxAQ announced a new strategic partnership with Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund, Mumtalakat. The $1 billion deal will see Bahrain license SandboxAQ’s quantitative AI software to identify and develop novel therapies.⁴

“We are honored to partner with Mumtalakat and the Kingdom of Bahrain to catalyze a new IP-generating biotech economy,” commented Jack Hidary, CEO of SandboxAQ, in a company statement. “Our collaboration will harness the power of AI to accelerate drug discovery and will attract more investment to the Kingdom.”

Recent wave of AI partnerships continues across life sciences

This flurry of new agreements follows AI partnerships unveiled by Medidata and BioRender last week.

Medidata expanded its existing partnership with Sanofi to leverage the AI-embedded capabilities of Medidata Patient, Data, and Study Experiences in decentralized trials.

In the area of scientific visuals, BioRender announced a collaboration with Anthropic to integrate its library of scientifically accurate icons and templates into the newly released AI solution, Claude for Life Sciences.

Following the agreement, medical researchers are now able to generate figure suggestions for slide decks, grant and funding applications, and publication—directly within the Claude platform.

References

1. Thermo Fisher Scientific to Accelerate Life Science Breakthroughs with OpenAI. News release. Thermo Fisher Scientific. October 16, 2025. Accessed October 28, 2025. https://newsroom.thermofisher.com/newsroom/press-releases/press-release-details/2025/Thermo-Fisher-Scientific-to-Accelerate-Life-Science-Breakthroughs-with-OpenAI/default.aspx

2. Thermo Fisher Scientific Showcases Enhanced Accelerator™ Drug Development Capabilities and OpenAI Strategic Collaboration at CPHI Frankfurt 2025. News release. Thermo Fisher Scientific. October 27, 2025. Accessed October 28, 2025. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251027524605/en/Thermo-Fisher-Scientific-Showcases-Enhanced-Accelerator-Drug-Development-Capabilities-and-OpenAI-Strategic-Collaboration-at-CPHI-Frankfurt-2025

3. Lundbeck and OpenAI join forces to unlock innovation and boost productivity. News release. Lundbeck. October 27, 2025. Accessed October 28, 2025. https://news.cision.com/h--lundbeck-a-s/r/lundbeck-and-openai-join-forces-to-unlock-innovation-and-boost-productivity,c4256413

4. Mumtalakat and SandboxAQ Announce Strategic Partnership to Catalyse Bahrain’s Biotech Ecosystem. News release. SandboxAQ. October 27, 2025. Accessed October 28, 2025. https://www.sandboxaq.com/press/mumtalakat-and-sandboxaq-announce-strategic-partnership-to-catalyse-bahrains-biotech-ecosystem