Danish pharmaceutical company Lundbeck has accelerated its drug development process by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI). With approximately 70% of all employees applying AI to their actual work, productivity gains are being confirmed in measurable figures, including savings of up to 12,000 work hours per week.
According to industry sources on Wednesday, Lundbeck has built an in-house AI environment based on OpenAI to enable all employees to utilize the technology. Of the company's roughly 5,000 employees, 3,500 are applying AI tools to their work.
AI adoption is expanding across the entire drug development process. It is being applied throughout early research stages, including molecular design and target discovery, as well as clinical trial patient selection and operations, and the preparation of regulatory filings, simultaneously boosting research speed and precision. Whereas the conventional approach involved screening candidate substances through experiments before verification, the AI-driven approach first narrows down candidates, which are then verified by humans, improving development efficiency.
Tangible results have emerged. According to Lundbeck, some development stages have seen timelines shortened by more than six months. In particular, the preparation period for regulatory filings has been reduced from approximately 12 months to 4-6 months, translating improved research efficiency into actual business results. In clinical trials, patient identification and enrollment speeds have improved, advancing overall development schedules.
Lundbeck views AI not as a separate strategy but as an execution tool. The company says it is focused on simultaneously enhancing decision-making speed and quality through "bionic capabilities" that combine human expertise with AI.
"AI is a core technology that enables innovation beyond being a simple work support tool," said Maria Alfaiate, Senior Vice President of Corporate Portfolio and Product Strategy at Lundbeck. "It allows us to analyze data faster and make decisions more quickly, significantly improving efficiency across research and development." She added, "AI utilization is expanding not only in drug discovery but also across the entire process, including regulatory filing preparation and clinical development."
The introduction of AI is also affecting organizational operations. By reducing repetitive and time-consuming tasks, research personnel can now focus on more strategic and high-value areas. The company explained that it is building a structure that simultaneously elevates productivity and creativity through AI.
Lundbeck plans to continue expanding the scope of AI utilization going forward to raise the probability of success in drug development. "We are focusing on internalizing AI capabilities across the entire company, not within a specific organization," a Lundbeck official said. "We will strengthen our R&D competitiveness by combining AI with neuroscience expertise and proprietary data, and ultimately drive improvements in patient treatment outcomes."
