Novo Nordisk is using artificial intelligence to cut the time it takes to bring new drugs to market by up to two-thirds. John Dawber, managing director for global business services, told a Reuters summit on Friday that AI tools were already compressing key parts of the launch process.
"Historically, from 'last patient, last visit' to first filing might have been a year and a half. What we're able to do now by implementing AI is bring that time down by months," Dawber reportedly said.
The company is deploying AI across regulatory document drafting, safety data analysis, and commercial analytics for both marketed drugs and those in clinical trials.
1 May 2026
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India's Growing Role
Novo's Bengaluru centre has become a central hub for global drug launches, handling a growing share of preparatory work including for its recently launched oral obesity pill in the United States.
"A good proportion of the work for any market launch would be done out of the India centre. There's probably not a medicine launched anywhere in the world that hasn't had a thumbprint of Bangalore on it," Dawber said as quoted by Reuters.
Activities including clinical data analysis, regulatory submissions and commercial planning are increasingly executed out of India, with AI tools now embedded widely across its India operations.
Despite the expanding scope of its India operations, Dawber said the company would be "conservative" on hiring amid a broader restructuring. He expects the global business services unit to end the year with around 4,000 employees, a significant revision from an earlier target of 5,000 by 2025. The focus, he said, is on hiring the right people for AI-led operations rather than expanding headcount rapidly.
Price Cuts amid Generic Competition in India
The AI push comes as Novo Nordisk faces intensifying competition in India following the expiry of its semaglutide patent on March 20, 2026.
The company subsequently announced price cuts of up to 48% on Ozempic and 36% on starting doses of its diabetes formulation, weeks after dozens of home-grown Indian pharma companies launched lower-priced versions.
Some generic versions are now being reportedly offered below ₹2,000 a month, a drop of as much as 90% from earlier branded prices. Novo had already reduced Wegovy's price by 37% in November 2025, ahead of the patent expiry, in anticipation of generic competition, multiple reports said.
