Anthropic launched Claude Science this week — an AI workbench for scientists that pulls tools and datasets into one environment. But they didn’t stop there.
The company says it wants to develop drugs of its own. Head of life sciences Eric Kauderer-Abrams told CNBC the focus is on neglected diseases. It’s one of the most direct attempts by a major AI company to actually make drugs itself, not just sell software to people who do.
That puts Anthropic in an odd spot. It’s selling tools to drugmakers while also becoming a competitor.
Experts say the whole “AI drug discovery” thing is a broad term. Namshik Han, a Cambridge professor and CardiaTec cofounder, says AI touches every stage of drug discovery — finding compounds, improving them, analysis, clinical trials. Even manufacturing. Every big pharma company is already using AI somewhere.
But an AI-designed drug reaching patients? That’s a long way off. Matthew Todd at University College London says the field hasn’t come close to making experiments unnecessary. Drug candidates still need real-world testing for efficacy, toxicity, and practical properties. That takes skilled workers, a lot of money, and time — especially clinical trials, where many candidates fail.
Anthropic’s been hiring biologists and building wet labs. It has several life sciences roles open. But Frank von Delft at Oxford said it bluntly: “They’re going to have to spend a lot on experiments.”
No AI-designed drug has made it through FDA approval yet. Some candidates have entered clinical trials, but it’s hard to know how much AI actually contributed. Whatever disease Anthropic picks, any payoff is probably a decade away.
