Veeva Summit Madrid Explores AI in Drug Development
The 10th Veeva R&D Summit Europe, a pivotal event focusing on artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and collaboration in drug development, was held in Madrid on June 4-5. Attended by 1,500 industry professionals, including sponsors, sites, contract research organisations (CROs), and patient advocates, the summit emphasized the potential of AI and automation to expedite drug development processes, while also acknowledging the importance of their appropriate use to avoid increased burdens.
Keynote speakers from Veeva highlighted the critical role of AI and automation across the R&D cycle, discussing the integration of these technologies with existing systems through application programming interfaces (APIs) for efficient data management. Furthermore, the incorporation of automation into regulatory processes was showcased, with Veeva’s Vault RIM system enabling users to annotate communications from regulators to streamline responses to their concerns.
A significant discussion point was Novo Nordisk’s ambitious plan to reduce trial setup times from final protocol approval to go-live to just one day by 2026, leveraging AI and strong partnerships with CROs. This initiative represents a considerable shift from the current four-week average setup time.
The summit also explored the potential of AI in identifying new indications for existing drugs, with Novo Nordisk aiming to use AI to investigate additional applications for its drug semaglutide, beyond its current approvals for type 2 diabetes and obesity.
Despite the enthusiasm for AI, some concerns were raised regarding its implementation. Richard Young, Vice President of Strategy Vault CDMS at Veeva, expressed caution about using AI to transfer data from electronic health records (EHRs) to electronic data capture (EDC) systems, emphasizing the need for accuracy and the avoidance of additional burdens on healthcare sites.
The event concluded on an inspiring note with Terry Pirovolakis sharing his journey to develop a gene therapy for his son’s rare condition, Spastic Paraplegia Type 50 (SPG50), through his organization, Elpida Therapeutics. The company is not only advancing its gene therapy candidate, Melpida, through clinical trials but is also acquiring and developing therapies for other ultra-rare diseases, planning to finance further development by selling priority review vouchers to larger pharmaceutical companies.
Overall, the Veeva R&D Summit Europe showcased the dynamic intersection of technology and healthcare, highlighting the transformative potential of AI and automation in drug development while stressing the importance of collaboration and careful implementation.