Anthropic announced Claude Science, an AI workbench that aggregates scientific tools and creates figures and visuals, during its “The Briefing: AI for Science” event this week. The company also said it intends to develop its own drugs, focusing on neglected diseases, according to Head of Life Sciences Eric Kauderer‑Abrams. The platform is designed for scientists to access fragmented datasets and software in a single environment, and several biotech and pharmaceutical firms have already reported using it. Kauderer‑Abrams did not specify what the company would do with promising drug candidates, and The Verge has not received a response to requests for additional details on target diseases or partnership plans. AI is applied at every stage of drug discovery, from compound identification to clinical trial support, experts said. Namshik Han, a professor at the University of Cambridge and cofounder of CardiaTec, described the term “AI drug discovery” as broad, noting that AI can suggest new molecules, identify disease targets, and repurpose existing drugs. Matthew Todd, a professor of drug discovery at University College London, added that AI already assists in speeding up research and testing ideas. The drug development process remains dependent on laboratory experiments, clinical trials, and regulatory review. Frank von Delft, a professor at the University of Oxford, said that AI has not yet rendered experiments unnecessary and that developing a drug will require substantial investment in testing, especially human trials. He said Anthropic would need to spend heavily on experiments if it pursues drug development. Anthropic has increased its life‑science staff in the past year, hiring biologists and building wet labs, and is recruiting for several life‑science positions. Han said the company has recruited some candidates from Big Pharma and academic institutions. Industry analysts estimate that, even with AI assistance, an AI‑designed drug would likely require five to ten years to complete clinical trials and obtain regulatory approval. No AI‑generated drug has yet reached market, and candidates that have entered trials provide limited evidence of AI’s contribution. The announcement raises questions about the scope of Anthropic’s drug development program and its potential impact on the broader AI‑in‑pharma landscape.