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Bristol Myers, Takeda Join Forces on AI-Powered Drug Discovery Consortium

Bristol Myers Squibb, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, and Astex Pharmaceuticals announced a strategic collaboration to share proprietary molecular data for training an artificial intelligence model aimed at accelerating drug discovery and development.

The partnership joins a wider consortium that already includes major pharmaceutical players such as AbbVie and Johnson & Johnson, according to an announcement from Apheris, the German life sciences computing company facilitating the project.

FEDERATED AI FOR DRUG DEVELOPMENT

The companies will contribute data from several thousand experimentally determined protein–small molecule structures to train OpenFold3, an advanced AI model designed to predict protein-ligand interactions — a critical component in developing new medicines.

Unlike traditional data-sharing methods, this collaboration uses Apheris’ federated data platform, which allows multiple organizations to collaborate securely without exposing or transferring sensitive data. Each company’s dataset remains stored in its original location while being used to improve the AI model collectively.

“The federated approach allows us to advance predictive models for small molecule discovery in ways no single organization could achieve alone,” said Payal Sheth, Vice President of Discovery Biotherapeutics and Lead Discovery & Optimization at Bristol Myers Squibb.

A COLLABORATIVE AI STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY INITIATIVE

OpenFold3 serves as the flagship project of the AI Structural Biology Network, an industry-led consortium developed in collaboration with the AlQuraishi Lab at Columbia University. The initiative aims to push the boundaries of AI-driven molecular modeling and create a shared foundation for faster, more efficient therapeutic development.

Hans Bitter, Head of Computational Sciences at Takeda, said the collaboration fits seamlessly into the company’s broader digital strategy.
“This consortium really ties into our larger corporate goal of embedding AI throughout everything we do,” Bitter noted. “It’s a powerful example of how pharma companies can come together to achieve more for patients than we could individually.”

By combining their molecular and structural data through AI, the consortium partners hope to improve drug target identification, binding prediction accuracy, and development timelines, setting a new standard for AI-based biopharma collaboration.

Medicare Drug Price Negotiations: Short-Term Stability, Long-Term Concerns for Pharma

The conclusion of the first round of Medicare drug price negotiations marks a significant milestone, though the final negotiated prices for the selected medications remain undisclosed. These prices, set to be revealed in early September, will come into effect in 2026. While the pharmaceutical industry continues to view these negotiations as a long-term threat to innovation and profits, there appears to be a sense of short-term stability among drugmakers based on recent earnings calls from key companies like Bristol Myers Squibb, Johnson & Johnson, and others.

Executives from major pharmaceutical companies have expressed varying degrees of confidence regarding the immediate impact of these negotiations. Bristol Myers Squibb CEO Christopher Boerner mentioned that the company has received the final price for its blood thinner Eliquis, shared with Pfizer, and is “increasingly confident” in navigating the impact. AbbVie CEO Robert Michael noted that the expected sales impact on its leukemia drug Imbruvica is included in financial forecasts, with AbbVie still expecting to meet its long-term outlook. Similarly, J&J Worldwide Chairman Jennifer Taubert expressed confidence in the company’s long-term growth despite new prices for its blood thinner Xarelto and psoriasis treatment Stelara.

However, Novartis CEO Vasant Narasimhan acknowledged that while the short-term impact on its drugs, such as the heart failure drug Entresto, might be manageable, the policy’s long-term effects are concerning. Narasimhan criticized the policy for its negative implications on innovation and patient care.

Despite the immediate stabilization, the pharmaceutical industry remains strongly opposed to Medicare drug price negotiations, labeling them as bad public policy. Executives like Boerner from Bristol Myers Squibb highlighted concerns about the long-term implications on innovation due to the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Legal challenges from companies like Merck and Novartis are ongoing, with similar claims from other industry players and trade groups being recently rejected.

The Medicare drug price negotiation authority, established under President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, aims to make medications more affordable for older Americans. While the immediate concerns over the new Medicare drug prices have somewhat subsided, the pharmaceutical industry remains wary of the long-term impacts. The upcoming price disclosures in September will provide clearer insights into how these negotiations will shape the market and influence future strategies for drugmakers.