Anthropic targets neglected diseases with new drug discovery push

Anthropic started an internal drug discovery program, the company said Tuesday at an event in San Francisco. The effort will develop AI tools for drugmakers and focus on treatments for “neglected” diseases that traditional biopharma companies avoid.

Eric Kauderer-Abrams, Anthropic’s life sciences head, said the company needs to “live it along with all of you” to build the right models. “We believe in the power of tight feedback loops,” he said. “There’s no substitute for having our own experiences alongside you all in the trenches trying to develop drugs.”

The program places Anthropic alongside other tech giants that have tried to crack healthcare. Alphabet and Apple have made various healthcare bets. Amazon built a health business through its acquisitions of One Medical and PillPack, now under Amazon Health Services. Results have been mixed.

Kauderer-Abrams did not say what Anthropic would do if it finds promising drug candidates. Traditional biopharma companies would typically test them in clinical trials. Anthropic positioned the effort as a way to work alongside drugmakers it is courting for its new Claude Science product. Jonah Cool, head of life sciences partnerships, said the goal is to focus on neglected diseases while creating and selling AI tools for life sciences companies.

Neglected diseases – such as Chagas disease, leishmaniasis, and sleeping sickness – affect millions in low-income regions but offer little commercial return. Drug development for these conditions has historically relied on public funding and nonprofit groups. Anthropic’s internal program could generate data that helps refine its AI models for broader pharmaceutical use, the company suggested.

The announcement comes as AI drug discovery attracts growing investment from both startups and established tech firms. Recursion Pharmaceuticals and Insilico Medicine have used AI to identify candidates for clinical trials. Alphabet’s DeepMind has applied its AlphaFold protein-structure tool to drug targets. Anthropic’s approach differs by running its own discovery lab alongside a product sales effort.

Cool said the company’s goal is to “build the right models, products and tools to accelerate the industry.” The internal program gives Anthropic direct experience with the drug development process, which it can then translate into better offerings for clients.

Kauderer-Abrams declined to specify a timeline or budget for the program. He said the company would share more details as the work progresses.