International pharma company AstraZeneca has teamed up with AI and analytics provider SAS to help increase efficiency and improve the use of clinical trial data, so new medicines can be delivered faster than before. It is hoped this initiative will drive automation in the delivery of statistical analyses for clinical and post-approval submissions to regulatory authorities, via SAS’s proprietary cloud-based software and technologies. SAS will also aim to deliver increased capacity, automation, interoperability, and flexibility to bring in and analyse diverse and novel patient data sources (through wearables, sensors, and precision medicine) as part of the submissions process. This has the potential to provide significant productivity gains by driving faster time to market and reduced IT costs. It is believed that the SAS and AstraZeneca partnership will enable teams across the organisation to collaborate and increase clinical research innovation. Christopher J Miller, VP Biometrics at AstraZeneca, said, “this partnership with SAS supports the transformation of how we use clinical data to support our patientcentric approach and focus on getting medicines to patients faster than ever before”. “It will also allow us to introduce new ways of working and embrace new technologies and trial models to accelerate our portfolio.” Bryan Harris, SAS Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, added, “I’m delighted that SAS is building on the strong relationship it has had with AstraZeneca over many years by being part of this transformation program”. “The work they do positively impacts the lives of millions of people around the world. “This is exciting because we have solidified a great foundation between our companies, but we also recognise we are just scratching the surface. “We pay attention to technology and the advancements in AI, and we thrive on thinking through how our technology blended with AstraZeneca’s expertise and insight can create new medical solutions for their customers.” JG