Big Pharma and Big Tech Are Joining Forces To Make AI-Powered Healthcare History

Unlike Big Tech that rules the business world, and the world in general, as developed communities can hardly imagine their daily existence without its offerings, Big Pharma doesn’t get the same credit for keeping the world healthy, pain-free and alive. Moreover, while tech companies like Apple Inc AAPL are able make huge margins off the iPhone arguably indefinitely, drug companies have a limited period from which they are able to profit from their innovation as patents ultimately expire and generic competitors enter the market. But, with the AI era, big tech and big pharma decided to join forces, disrupting drug manufacturing and possibly, the future of medicine. 

Amazon.com Inc AMZN-owned Amazon Web Services, one of the world’s largest cloud providers continues to expand its healthcare footprint through relationships with pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer Inc PFE and Amgen Inc AMGN as it aims to widen the use of cloud computing in drug discovery and manufacturing. Last week, it revealed more details of its strategy during its AWS event re:Event. But AI is not reserved for big pharma. Even smaller companies like Mainz Biomed N.V. MYNZ, a molecular genetics diagnostic company specializing in the early detection of cancer, used AI to enhance its clinical trial. Mainz Biomed entered a strategic partnership with Liquid Bioscience to use the power of AI to develop next-generation colorectal screening test. Mainz Biomed already used Liquid Bioscience’s platform EMERGE to analyze its ColoFuture study. The study recently reported groundbreaking results that include sensitivity for colorectal cancer of 94% with a specificity of 97%, as well as a sensitivity for advanced adenoma of 80% which is a precursor to colorectal cancer.

Amazon And Pfizer Announce Partnership Expansion

Through AWS, Amazon jumped in to save healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic by offering expanded cloud services to Moderna Inc MRNA and Pfizer that joined hands with BioNTech BNTX. Although in different ways, it turned out that Amazon empowered manufacturers of two leading vaccines that saved the world from COVID-19.

Moderna was initially ahead of Pfizer at the beginning of 2020 with its rapid R&D timeline that was made possible by AWS cloud services. Amazon helped Moderna develop and manufacture a vaccine quickly so it can begin clinical trials as soon as possible. Back in 2021, Moderna completed the sequence for its mRNA vaccine in just 2 days using AWS-built machine learning and released the first clinical batch just 25 days after.

Last week, during an event held by AWS, AWS CEO Adam Selipsky and Pfizer EVP Lidia Fonseca revealed the two companies will be expanding their partnership that commenced during the Covid-19 pandemic. With the use of cloud services provided by Amazon Web Services, Pfizer went to went from producing 220 million vaccines a year to 4 billion in 2022. But this partnership goes beyond Covid as Pfizer is now hoping to repeat its Covid-19 success with its cancer drugs. Pfizer is also increasingly relying on AI to help reduce the time it takes to complete certain tasks.

Meanwhile, AWS is focused on further integrating AI into healthcare. Matt Wood, AWS vice president of technology, spoke with Yahoo Finance about the expansion of AWS's decade-old partnership with Amgen. By expanding the collaboration, Amgen will be including a new Amazon robotic assembly at its Ohio facility that is scheduled to open next year. With the help of Amazon, Amgen will be using AI to reduce downtime and increase capacity. Together, Amgen and Amazon will be looking for ways to improve the discovery of new medications as well as the process of making drugs. 

The above developments provide a glimmer of hope that in the AI era, technology will finally be used for good.

DISCLAIMER: This content is for informational purposes only. It is not intended as investing advice.