Artificial Intelligence Across the Drug Development Lifecycle

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming a central driver of change across the drug development lifecycle. However, its integration is evolving so rapidly that it remains essential to understand how these technologies are currently positioned within the field. Because reliable access to high-quality (effective and safe) drugs is essential to public health, the pharmaceutical product lifecycle (PPL) offers a coherent framework for evaluating how AI can enhance evidence and data creation across all stages. To understand where AI genuinely adds value, this review examines its contribution across the major stages of the PPL. Rather than treating drug discovery, nonclinical evaluation, clinical research, and post-marketing assessment as separate domains, we view them as a continuous chain of data, where digital technologies enhance different decision points in distinct ways. In early discovery, AI narrows the search space by integrating diverse datasets to prioritize candidates most likely to succeed. Nonclinical models increasingly rely on machine-learning systems designed to improve the human relevance of safety predictions. Within clinical trials, AI supports cohort formation, real-time monitoring, and new analytic strategies that supplement empirical evidence. Case studies from leading pharmaceutical companies illustrate that the most meaningful advances emerge when AI is embedded not as a standalone tool but as part of a broader data strategy that links information across stages. Taken together, current evidence suggests that AI is beginning to transform data generation and integration throughout the PPL. Given the accelerating pace of digital innovation, it is essential for the field to maintain continuous awareness of emerging methodologies and evolving regulatory frameworks to ensure that these technologies are implemented in a reliable, transparent, and scientifically grounded manner.