Clinicians Rapidly Adopt AI for Medical Questions as Sanofi R&D Chief Weighs Its Role

· Health · United States · France

New research documents a rapid rise in clinicians using AI to answer medical questions, drawing on usage data from OpenEvidence, an AI search tool, even as evidence remains limited on how it affects decision-making or patient outcomes. The findings quantify how quickly AI has moved into routine clinical reference work. In a separate interview, Sanofi's new global head of R&D, Paulo Fontoura, discussed AI, R&D failure rates and dealmaking, after taking over in September following 16 years at Roche and a stint at AI drug discovery startup Xaira Therapeutics, ahead of Sanofi's Oct. 30 earnings. Together the items show AI spreading across both clinical practice and pharmaceutical research strategy.

Why it matters：AI is becoming a commonplace tool for clinicians even without clear evidence on outcomes, while large pharma R&D leaders are openly weighing its role, a combination that will shape clinical decision-making and drug development strategy in the coming years.

Key points

  • Researchers studied usage data from OpenEvidence, an AI search tool, showing rapid clinician adoption.
  • Evidence remains limited on how AI use affects decision-making or patient outcomes.
  • Sanofi's new R&D head Paulo Fontoura discussed AI, R&D failure rates and dealmaking ahead of Oct. 30 earnings.

Sources (original reporting)

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