Lilly collaborates with OpenAI to discover novel medicines to treat drug-resistant bacteria

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Jun 25, 2024, 10:00 ET

INDIANAPOLIS, June 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) announced a collaboration with OpenAI that will allow Lilly to leverage OpenAI's generative AI to invent novel antimicrobials to treat drug-resistant pathogens. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the top public health and development threats across the global health landscape.

"Our collaboration with OpenAI represents a groundbreaking step forward in the fight against the growing but overlooked threat of antimicrobial resistance," said Diogo Rau, executive vice president and chief information and digital officer at Lilly. "Generative AI opens a new opportunity to accelerate the discovery of novel antimicrobials and the development of custom, purpose-built technologies in the battle against drug-resistant pathogens. This partnership underscores our commitment to addressing significant health challenges experienced by people around the world."

AMR affects countries in all regions and at all income levels and is exacerbated by poverty and inequality, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, which results in the greatest impact and risk. The misuse and overuse of antimicrobials in humans, animals and plants are the main drivers in the development of drug-resistant pathogens, magnifying this threat to global health.

"We're excited to work with Lilly to find new ways to treat microbial infections," said Brad Lightcap, chief operating officer at OpenAI. "Advanced AI has the potential to deliver innovative breakthroughs in pharma, and we're committed to working together with industry leaders to deliver tangible benefits for patients."

This collaboration with OpenAI supports Lilly's earlier commitment to fighting drug-resistant pathogens through its Social Impact Venture Capital Portfolio. In 2020, the portfolio committed $100 million to the AMR Action Fund, aiming to provide patients with two to four new antibiotics by 2030 and contribute the next line of defense against multi-drug-resistant pathogens. In April 2023, the AMR Action Fund announced its latest investments in biotech companies targeting a range of infections.

About Lilly
Lilly is a medicine company turning science into healing to make life better for people around the world. We've been pioneering life-changing discoveries for nearly 150 years, and today our medicines help more than 51 million people across the globe. Harnessing the power of biotechnology, chemistry and genetic medicine, our scientists are urgently advancing new discoveries to solve some of the world's most significant health challenges: redefining diabetes care; treating obesity and curtailing its most devastating long-term effects; advancing the fight against Alzheimer's disease; providing solutions to some of the most debilitating immune system disorders; and transforming the most difficult-to-treat cancers into manageable diseases. With each step toward a healthier world, we're motivated by one thing: making life better for millions more people. That includes delivering innovative clinical trials that reflect the diversity of our world and working to ensure our medicines are accessible and affordable. To learn more, visit Lilly.com and Lilly.com/news, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. C-LLY

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements (as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) about the benefits of a collaboration between Lilly and OpenAI, Lilly's research and development strategy, and potential payments to OpenAI in connection with the collaboration and reflects Lilly's current beliefs and expectations. However, as with any such undertaking, there are substantial risks and uncertainties in the process of drug research, development and commercialization. Among other things, there can be no guarantee that Lilly will realize the expected benefits of the collaboration, that the collaboration will yield commercially successful products, or that Lilly will execute its strategy as expected. For further discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from Lilly's expectations, see Lilly's Form 10-K and Form 10-Q filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by law, Lilly undertakes no duty to update forward-looking statements to reflect events after the date of this release.