Novo, Anthropic set Claude tests for drug discovery

Novo Nordisk and Anthropic announced a collaboration to test Claude Science in selected drug-discovery workflows. Novo also plans to use Anthropic models for AI-assisted software development across the pharmaceutical company.

The initial work will center on scientific problems selected by Novo researchers and computational teams. The companies said they will develop targeted solutions for workflows that support biological reasoning. The software-development effort is part of Novo’s broader plan to scale AI internally.

Novo said it will initially test Claude Science in specific research and development workflows where the partners expect their combined capabilities to have the greatest impact. Anthropic describes Claude Science as a workbench that connects research tools and software packages, provides computing resources, creates auditable artifacts and includes a reviewer agent that checks citations and calculations.

Novo said the collaboration was designed with human oversight and what it called robust data governance to keep AI use aligned with the drugmaker’s ethical and compliance standards. For context, DataPhoenix has previously covered Anthropic’s external-evaluator commitments. Novo’s announcement did not explain how the controls will work, what data Claude may access, whether information can be used for model training, how outputs will be validated or which regulatory controls will apply.

Novo CEO Mike Doustdar said AI could increase research productivity and compress the path from research to a marketed product. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said the collaboration could shorten research timelines and improve outcomes. Both statements describe company expectations, not demonstrated results from the deployment.

The companies disclosed no Novo-specific benchmark or test result, named drug program, therapeutic area, rollout schedule, success metric, financial term, contract duration or exclusivity provision.