AstraZeneca partners with Oracle to bring AI into clinical trials

Oracle announced it had signed a non-binding agreement with AstraZeneca to explore whether artificial intelligence and real-world patient data can help identify people eligible for clinical trials sooner, targeting recruitment delays in drug research. The companies said the initial work will focus on four areas: oncology; cardiovascular, renal and metabolic diseases; respiratory and immunology; and rare diseases. AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot said the collaboration pairs the drugmaker’s scientific expertise with Oracle’s data and technology, while Oracle CEO Mike Sicilia said better data use could improve patient outcomes. The agreement has no public timeline, budget or binding targets, and successful pilots could expand to more diseases and countries.