Sanofi has partnered with Exscientia an AI company to create up to 15 Fresh Medications

Sanofi SA, a French pharmaceutical company, will collaborate with Exscientia Plc, a British artificial intelligence company, to develop up to 15 therapeutic candidates in cancer and immunology in a contract worth up to US$5.2 billion in milestone payments, the two firms said on Friday.

Exscientia will receive a one-time payment of $100 million in exchange for leading the development and design of small molecule therapeutics up to the nomination of the most feasible candidate. Following that, Sanofi will be in charge of clinical development.

Sanofi is one of several pharmaceutical behemoths experimenting with artificial intelligence to increase accuracy and cut down on research time, with investment firms such as SoftBank also putting money into the field. Exscientia, which went public on the Nasdaq in October, works with pharmaceutical giants like Bristol-Myers Squibb and Roche to create therapeutic molecules for immunological disorders and cancer. Exscientia and Sanofi have been collaborating since 2016, and if one of the drugs developed under the agreement is commercialized, Exscientia will receive up to 21% of net sales as royalty payments.

“Typically, we must synthesis 5,000 molecules before identifying the one that will become the clinical candidate. By utilizing AI, you may be able to do this by only looking at 500… As a result, timetables might be shortened “Sanofi worldwide head of research and chief scientific officer, Frank Nestle, stated.In November, the company paid 180 USD million for a 10% to 15% stake in Owkin, a French firm that uses predictive analytics to improve cancer research and development.