Boehringer Signs Deal for Owkin AI, Joining Astra and Sanofi

Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH agreed to use Owkin’s artificial-intelligence model to help discover new oncology and immunology medicines.

The licensing accord for Owkin’s AI scientist K Pro follows an initial pilot between the two companies in 2025, they said Wednesday. The model, which includes access to a patient data network, should help the closely-held German company to identify potential drug targets and indications, Owkin said.

Drugmakers are clinching deals with AI companies in the hope of finding new treatments or speeding their development. But the new tools can cut both ways: they can leave companies with too many projects on their hands if they don’t learn to abandon bad ideas early. Owkin argues it can help by providing more data early on.

With AI, “you can explore more but you need to be extra smart in the way you funnel those ideas because otherwise you’re just creating a bottleneck,” Owkin’s head of product Jonas Beal, said in an interview. “So it becomes an advantage if you’re good at selecting the top ideas early on.”

The financial details of the agreement weren’t disclosed. AstraZeneca Plc and Sanofi also have deals with the French-US AI firm.