Global pharmaceutical company UCB recently licensed its osteoporosis AI technology to MSK AI startup ImageBiopsy Lab, representing an interesting milestone for several emerging AI business models.
The UCB & ImageBiopsy Lab Alliance – ImageBiopsy Lab will use UCB’s BoneBot AI technology to develop and commercialize a tool that screens CT scans for “silent” spinal fractures to identify patients who should be receiving osteoporosis treatments. The new tool will launch by 2023 as part of ImageBiopsy Lab’s ZOO MSK platform.
UCB’s AI Angle – UCB produces an osteoporosis drug that would be prescribed far more often if detection rates improve (over 2/3 of vertebral fractures are currently undiagnosed). That’s why UCB developed and launched BoneBot AI in 2019 and it’s why the pharma giant is now working with ImageBiopsy Lab to bring it into clinical use.
The PharmaAI Trend – We’re seeing a growing trend of drug and device companies working with AI developers to help increase treatment demand. The list is getting pretty long, including quite a few PharmaAI alliances targeting lung cancer treatment (Aidence & AstraZeneca, Qure.ai & AstraZeneca, Huma & Bayer, Optellum & J&J) and a diverse set of AI alliances with medical device companies (Imbio & Olympus for emphysema, Aidoc & Inari for PE, Viz.ai & Medtronic for stroke).
The Population Health AI Trend – ImageBiopsy Lab’s BoneBot AI licensing is also a sign of AI’s growing momentum in population health, following increased interest from academia and major commercial efforts from Cleerly (cardiac screening) and Zebra Medical Vision (cardiac and osteoporosis screening… so far). This alliance also introduces a new type of population health AI beneficiary (pharma companies), in addition to risk holders and patients.
The Takeaway – ImageBiopsy Lab and UCB’s new alliance didn’t get a lot of media attention last week, but it tells an interesting story about how AI business models are evolving beyond triage, and how those changes are bringing some of healthcare’s biggest names into the imaging AI arena.
