Roche Moving Toward Autonomous AI Labs for Drug Research, Development

10:48 AM EDT, 09/28/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Roche (RO.SW) is moving toward autonomous artificial intelligence-driven laboratories to bolster its wider lab-in-the-loop strategy in the research and development of drugs, from target discovery to the clinical setting. In a presentation at the pharmaceutical group's Pharma Day investor event on Monday, Aviv Regev, head of Genentech Research and Early Development, said artificial intelligence has the potential to tackle the challenges posed by drug research and development. Regev noted that AI and computation contributed to 40% of pipeline decisions in the fourth quarter of 2025 through the second quarter of 2026. Meanwhile, the Swiss drugmaker will reallocate an estimated 2 billion francs in research and development cost savings from 2024 through 2026 to transformative programs and productivity initiatives by the end of the current year, according to Roche Chief Financial Officer Alan Hippe.