OpenAI Teams with Novo Nordisk to Speed Prescription Drug Development

Anyone who moved to Hollywood with superstar dreams will sympathize. Now that its career as a movie-maker has stalled, OpenAI is pivoting to pharmaceuticals. 

Weeks after shuttering Sora, its consumer AI video generator, and amid a broader shift away from “side quests” and toward revenue-generating enterprise markets, OpenAI on Tuesday announced a partnership with Novo Nordisk to help the Wegovy-maker use AI to accelerate drug discovery. It’s a sign everyone’s favorite little AI firm is growing up … and feeling the heat from fast-charging rival Anthropic.

License to Earn

Between Claude Code and cybersecurity tool Mythos, Anthropic has made a big splash this year in addressing critical (and practical) needs for enterprise firms. Meanwhile, OpenAI’s massive lead in the consumer chatbot market is beginning to slip; according to the most recent data from Apptopia, ChatGPT’s US mobile chatbot market share fell for the fourth straight month in March, and now sits below 40%. Which is why it’s seeking more lucrative career paths.

Its Novo partnership comes after previous agreements with Moderna, Sanofi and Formation Bio to help accelerate drug development. Novo on Tuesday said the partnership will begin with programs integrating AI into R&D, manufacturing and commercial operations, though it will eventually involve full AI integration. 

Expect many more deals as OpenAI charts its long path to profitability:

• In a January episode of “The OpenAI Podcast,” the company’s in-house show, OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar floated a “licensing model” in which OpenAI would receive a portion of the sales from drugs developed in part by its AI. Neither Novo Nordisk nor OpenAI responded to a request for comment on whether the deal announced Tuesday followed this structure.
• Earlier this month, OpenAI said that enterprise now accounts for 40% of its total revenue and expects it to achieve parity with consumer revenue by the end of the year.

Defensive Position: OpenAI also launched GPT‑5.4‑Cyber on Tuesday, its answer to Anthropic’s Claude Mythos cybersecurity tool. In a matter of days since the launch of its pilot program, Mythos is already reshaping the cyber industry. Major Wall Street firms are employing a preview mode of the tool to inspect their cyber vulnerabilities, while Bloomberg reported Tuesday that the US Treasury Department is now seeking access, too (never mind the US Defense Department blacklisting). It’s easy to see why OpenAI leaped into the arena. And take it from this Angeleno: As far as backup plans for when big Hollywood dreams inevitably go awry, drug development and cybersecurity sound pretty good.