Helping shape the next generation of medicines
Our approach to R&D
Our Research & Development (R&D) is driven by a commitment to push the boundaries of science to deliver potentially life-changing medicines for patients.
We are dedicated to transforming patient care through early screening, prevention and treatment – and by thinking more holistically about diseases, even before they occur.
R&D is our innovation engine
Drug discovery is highly selective, careful process to identify the drug candidates most likely to help tackle disease, and with potential benefit to patients.
R&D drives the discovery of next generation of medicines through innovation.
Our staged approach includes:
1. Deepening our understanding of disease with the aim of uncovering novel disease drivers.
2. Rigorously testing drug candidates to ensure they’re ready for patients.
3. Running clinical trials designed to confirm they address patient needs.
21 million
30 million+
90%
The stages of R&D
Identifying the right target and drug candidate
Our scientists study diseases, like cancer and heart failure, to pinpoint the protein or gene associated with the condition (the target), and identify the molecule most likely to disrupt their process (the drug candidate).
It’s like finding the right key for a lock.
Learn how we approach target discovery through genomics and multi-omics
Building confidence in drug candidates
We rigorously assess new drug candidates using well-established predictive models to see how they work, evaluate their safety profile and confirm the right clinical dose.
It’s a process that strengthens the evidence we need to progress responsibly towards the clinic.
Bridging science and patient outcomes
We use patient-relevant markers to show how the drug candidate engages with its disease target and how it interacts with disease processes in ways that are likely to help the patient.
This further supports dosing decisions and identifies the patients most likely to benefit from treatment.
Evaluating potential benefits and safety profile for our medicines
We evaluate each potential medicine in carefully designed studies to confirm it helps the intended patients, understand how it’s tolerated and generate the high-quality evidence needed for approval and real-world use.
Three organisations. One aim.
We have three therapy area-focused R&D organisations that lead our work from discovery through late-stage development – all united in their purpose to deliver potentially life-changing medicines to patients who need them most.
BioPharmaceuticals R&D
Driving a strategy that aims to shift from reactive sick care to proactive healthcare by focusing on cardiovascular, renal and metabolism (CVRM) diseases, respiratory diseases and immunology, and infectious diseases.
Oncology R&D
Striving to redefine cancer care and, one day, eliminate cancer as a cause of death, through precision science, pioneering technologies, a strategic pipeline attacking cancer from multiple angles and targeting drivers of disease.
Rare disease R&D
Turning pioneering science into therapies for rare diseases and conditions with high unmet medical need – in many cases, where no therapy exists today.
Veeva ID: Z4-80702
Date of preparation: August 2026