Drug maker Novo Nordisk is working with 10 Indian AI startups

Novo Nordisk leverages tools created by Indian AI startups for tasks such as summarizing documents, extracting information and checking for editing errors.

Weight loss drug maker Wegovy is using some of the AI ​​tools made by Indian startups for its global operations and is open to more such partnerships.

India is currently home to over 100 GenAI startups that raised over $600 million in funding between 2019 and the first half of 2024.

Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk, which has grabbed global headlines for its weight loss drug Wegovy, has partnered with 10 Indian artificial intelligence (AI) startups to streamline its operations.

The global business services company’s managing director (MD) John Dawber told Reuters that it is leveraging tools created by local AI startups for tasks such as summarizing documents, extracting information and checking for errors editing

Dawber added that “some of these AI tools” are being used across Novo Nordisk’s global operations. However, the report did not mention the names of the AI ​​startups.

He said Novo’s medical writers are using AI to reduce the time required for quality checks on regulatory documents. “It goes from 40 hours per document to about 40 minutes per document,” he added.

The drug maker is also open to partnering with more AI startups in the country.

According to the report, Dawber expects the company’s Bengaluru center to emerge as “an almost perfect mirror image” of Novo’s headquarters in Denmark within three years in terms of “handling central data for the research and development”.

It is pertinent to point out that the center manages the data collected on the safety and effectiveness of the company’s drugs, which includes information related to clinical trials and reports of possible side effects.

Meanwhile, Novo Nordisk plans to double the number of “global process leaders” based in India over the next three to four years and increase its workforce in the country by 16% to 5,000 next year.

With India’s AI ecosystem making rapid strides and attracting investor interest, collaborations like Novo Nordisk’s are expected to pave the way for more such collaborations with global players.

According to a report by Inc42, India is currently home to more than 100 generative AI (GenAI) startups that raised more than $600 million in funding between 2019 and the first half (H1) of 2024. Leading the way are there are people like unicorn GenAI, owned by Ola. Krutrim and SarvamAI.