#30 How Takeda Is Reinventing Pharma with AI. Gabriele Ricci.

AI is reshaping every stage of the pharmaceutical value chain, from discovering new medicines to delivering better outcomes for patients. The companies that lead won't simply adopt better models. They'll rethink how they operate.

Gabriele Ricci (Chief Data & Technology Officer, Takeda) joins Aman Desai to discuss how one of the world's largest biopharmaceutical companies is scaling AI, data, and digital technologies across the entire value chain. He shares how Takeda is using AI to accelerate drug discovery, modernize research and manufacturing, improve decision-making, and rethink how new capabilities are integrated through partnerships and acquisitions. The conversation also touches on Takeda's acquisition of Nimbus Therapeutics' zasocitinib program and what it reveals about building AI-enabled innovation through a combination of internal capabilities and strategic partnerships.

The conversation explores why AI acts more like a mirror than a magic wand, exposing broken processes, poor-quality data, and organizational bottlenecks that must be addressed before technology can deliver its full potential. Gabriele also discusses how AI has reduced drug target identification from months to weeks, shortened development timelines, enabled more personalized care, and why trust, judgment, and organizational change will ultimately determine which companies lead the next era of pharmaceutical innovation.

Recorded live at HLTH Europe in June 2026.