Sanofi and Google join forces to create 'Innovation Lab'

Sanofi and Google are to create a virtual innovation lab, aiming to transform how future medicines and health services are delivered, using the power of data technology.

The French pharma appointed Ameet Nathwani as its first chief digital officer in February, and this is the first major initiative he has begun since taking the job.

Sanofi hopes the collaboration will change the way it develops new treatments, focusing on three key objectives.

These are to better understand patients and diseases, increase operational efficiency, and improve patient and customer experience.

In order to develop a more personalised approach to medicine, the companies will apply technology and analytics to Sanofi’s large real-world database to better understand what treatments work for patients.

This aims to result in an improved ability to offer personalised treatment advice, thus optimising patient care and reducing healthcare costs.

The companies also plan to use artificial intelligence (AI) to better forecast sales and inform marketing and supply chain efforts.

This will take into account real-time information as well as geographic, logistic and manufacturing constraints to improve accuracy of these activities.

Sanofi will also migrate some business solutions to Google Cloud Platform to modernise its infrastructure.

Using automation along with increases in data and analytic capabilities, Sanofi says it will accelerate and simplify management of older products.

It will also provide easy access to recent technologies and help its integration into business plans.

At the start of this month, Sanofi said it had appointed Paul Hudson to take over as its CEO, replacing Olivier Brandicourt who will retire in September.

Hudson will be tasked with rejuvenating a business that has been hit by cheaper competition for its top-selling insulin, Lantus.

However the company’s recently approved Dupixent (dupilumab) for asthma and eczema is tipped to become a blockbuster following a strong launch after it hit the market in 2017.