AstraZeneca and Oracle team up on AI to find patients for drug trials

AstraZeneca and Oracle will use AI and real patient health data to find people for drug trials faster, the two firms announced. The deal adds to a long list of AI health tie-ups between drugmakers and tech companies.

The pair signed a non-binding term sheet, so the terms are not yet final, and neither firm said or confirmed how much money is involved.

AstraZeneca brings its know-how in drug science, trials, and regulations, while Oracle’s health unit brings cloud servers, AI tools, and patient data from hospitals, with names removed.

The first programme will run in Abu Dhabi with M42, a healthcare company based in the UAE. Doctors will look for people whose high blood pressure is not under control. They will then treat them in line with guidelines and sign more of them up for trials, AstraZeneca said.

Later projects are planned in the US, the Middle East and Europe. They will cover cancer, heart and kidney disease, lung and immune conditions, and rare diseases.

“This unique collaboration brings leaders in healthcare and AI together at a global scale,” said Pascal Soriot, AstraZeneca’s chief executive.

AstraZeneca will not see who the patients are, the company said. Each project will proceed only after legal, privacy, and ethics checks.

AstraZeneca also works with other AI firms, including Insitro, to find new drug targets for liver and heart disease. Investors, meanwhile, have put large sums into AI drug discovery startups this year.