OpenAI acquires Orchestra Bio to boost drug development AI, Axios reports

October 20, 2026 2:09 PM EDT

Investing.com -- OpenAI has acquired Orchestra Bio, a startup that builds AI agents to help pharmaceutical companies manage drug development, Axios reported on Tuesday .

OpenAI will integrate Orchestra's team and technology into Rosalind, its suite of AI models and tools designed for life sciences researchers. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Orchestra's platform allows scientists to delegate tasks like monitoring studies, tracking drug development timelines and identifying potential delays to AI agents. Both companies aim to deploy agents that can connect scientific findings with the decisions and next steps required to advance potential treatments.

OpenAI introduced its specialized GPT-Rosalind model in April to help researchers tackle complex problems in biology, chemistry and drug discovery. The company has also partnered with pharmaceutical giants including Novo Nordisk and Moderna to bring AI into research and development workflows.

OpenAI says developing a new medicine typically takes 10 to 15 years, a timeline it hopes AI can shorten.

The acquisition comes as rival AI company Anthropic also pushes into life sciences. Anthropic acquired AI biotech startup Coefficient Bio for roughly $400 million in April, The Information had reported previously.

Anthropic launched Claude Science in June, an AI-powered research platform that connects scientific databases, analysis tools and specialized agents. In September, the company announced a new biological research lab and said Claude had helped discover a previously unknown enzyme system with similarities to CRISPR.

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