Source: a16z
Andreessen Horowitz identifies a bifurcated path in AI adoption across pharma. Software-native processes—computational screening, molecular modeling—are experiencing exponential gains. Clinical trials and regulatory approval remain locked into slow, human-dependent workflows that no algorithm can meaningfully accelerate. This creates a bottleneck: companies winning on discovery speed will generate promising candidates faster than they can validate them. The competitive advantage isn't better AI. It's the capital and patience to manage a discovery pipeline moving at speed while development remains constrained by biology and regulation.