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** UCB and Microsoft Expand Collaboration to Accelerate Drug Discovery and =
Development
------------------------------------------------------------
=C2=B7 Through this collaboration with Microsoft, UCB seeks to discover and=
develop medicines faster for people living with severe diseases in immunol=
ogy and neurology
=C2=B7 Microsoft will provide AI technology and applied scientists to work =
alongside UCB=E2=80=99s scientists and data specialists, aiming to allow UC=
B to discover new correlations and patterns critical to finding new and hig=
hly individualized medicines
Brussels (Belgium) and Atlanta, Ga. 23=C2=A0February 2021 =E2=80=93 7:00a (=
CET) - UCB and Microsoft have announced a new multi-year, strategic collabo=
ration to combine Microsoft=E2=80=99s computational services, cloud, and ar=
tificial intelligence (AI) with UCB=E2=80=99s drug discovery and developmen=
t capabilities. As several drug discovery activities require the analysis o=
f high-dimensional data sets or multi-modal unstructured information, Micro=
soft=E2=80=99s platform can support UCB=E2=80=99s scientists, including its=
data scientists, to discover new medicines in a more efficient and innovat=
ive way.
The collaboration builds on the work UCB and Microsoft have already embarke=
d on around COVID-19. As part of the COVID Moonshot project, UCB=E2=80=99s =
medicinal and computational chemists contributed compound designs to this w=
orldwide open-science project to create an orally bioavailable anti-viral f=
or COVID-19 - with the most potent series of compounds coming from UCB desi=
gns.=C2=A0
This combination of cutting-edge science, computing power, and AI algorithm=
s aims to significantly accelerate the iteration cycles required to explore=
a vast chemical space to test many hypotheses and identify more effective =
molecules. The collaboration plans to extend this model and identify other =
areas where computing power, AI, and science can accelerate the development=
of life changing therapies for people living with severe diseases in immun=
ology and neurology. The work will augment UCB=E2=80=99s scientists, subjec=
t matter experts, and research partners across every part of the drug disco=
very and delivery value chain by harnessing diverse research information an=
d AI models alongside human expertise and creativity.=C2=A0
=E2=80=9CWe are delighted to be collaborating with Microsoft to uncover new=
insights to better understand a patient=E2=80=99s condition, as well as th=
e science, and to enable an enhanced patient experience,=E2=80=9D said Jean=
-Christophe Tellier, CEO of UCB. =E2=80=9CBy amplifying the power of scient=
ific innovation through digital transformation, we hope to have a better un=
derstanding of what makes a patient=E2=80=99s journey unique so that we can=
provide personalized and differentiated medicine in a sustainable way.=E2=
=80=9D =C2=A0=C2=A0
UCB and Microsoft will explore how to combine diverse research data sets wi=
th four strategic objectives in mind, allowing UCB to:
=C2=B7 Improve a patient=E2=80=99s overall journey
=C2=B7 Increase the impact of a treatment through a deeper understanding of=
the biological causes of the disease
=C2=B7 Systematically provide better research data-driven insights to enabl=
e the faster discovery of therapeutic molecules
=C2=B7 Accelerate clinical development timelines
=E2=80=9CTogether, UCB and Microsoft are taking on some of healthcare=E2=80=
=99s greatest challenges to find connected, innovative ways to create bette=
r experiences, insights, and more personal and more effective care. With th=
e deep knowledge that UCB offers in drug discovery and the knowledge of hum=
an biology, together with Microsoft=E2=80=99s unmatched expertise in comput=
er science and AI, we have a unique opportunity to reinvent the way new med=
icines are created.=E2=80=9D says Jean-Philippe Courtois, EVP and President=
, Microsoft Global Sales, Marketing & Operations.=C2=A0
About UCB
UCB, Brussels, Belgium (www.ucb.com) is a global biopharmaceutical company =
focused on the discovery and development of innovative medicines and soluti=
ons to transform the lives of people living with severe diseases of the imm=
une system or of the central nervous system. With more than 7 500 people in=
approximately 40 countries, UCB generated revenue of =E2=82=AC 4.9 billion=
in 2019. UCB is listed on Euronext Brussels (symbol: UCB). Follow us on Tw=
itter: @UCB_news
For further information, UCB:
UCB Communications
Erica Puntel
Digital Business Transformation, UCB
T 404.938.5359, erica.puntel@ucb.com =C2=A0=C2=A0
Laurent Schots
Global Communications, UCB
T: +32 (0)2 559 92 64, laurent.schots@ucb.com
Investor Relations
Antje Witte
Investor Relations, UCB =C2=A0=C2=A0
T +32.2.559.94.14, antje.witte@ucb.com =C2=A0=C2=A0
Isabelle Ghellynck
Investor Relations, UCB
T+32.2.559.9588, isabelle.ghellynck@ucb.com
###
Forward looking statements =E2=80=93 UCB
This press release contains forward-looking statements based on current pla=
ns, estimates and beliefs of management. All statements, other than stateme=
nts of historical fact, are statements that could be deemed forward-looking=
statements, including estimates of revenues, operating margins, capital ex=
penditures, cash, other financial information, expected legal, political, r=
egulatory or clinical results and other such estimates and results. By thei=
r nature, such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future perf=
ormance and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions which could=
cause actual results to differ materially from those that may be implied b=
y such forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Importan=
t factors that could result in such differences include: changes in general=
economic, business and competitive conditions, the inability to obtain nec=
essary regulatory approvals or to obtain them on acceptable terms, costs as=
sociated with research and development, changes in the prospects for produc=
ts in the pipeline or under development by UCB, effects of future judicial =
decisions or governmental investigations, product liability claims, challen=
ges to patent protection for products or product candidates, changes in law=
s or regulations, exchange rate fluctuations, changes or uncertainties in t=
ax laws or the administration of such laws and hiring and retention of its =
employees.=C2=A0
UCB is providing this information as of the date of this press release and =
expressly disclaims any duty to update any information contained in this pr=
ess release, either to confirm the actual results or to report a change in =
its expectations. There is no guarantee that new product candidates in the =
pipeline will progress to product approval or that new indications for exis=
ting products will be developed and approved. Products or potential product=
s which are the subject of partnerships, joint ventures or licensing collab=
orations may be subject to differences between the partners. Also, UCB or o=
thers could discover safety, side effects or manufacturing problems with it=
s products after they are marketed. Moreover, sales may be impacted by inte=
rnational and domestic trends toward managed care and health care cost cont=
ainment and the reimbursement policies imposed by third-party payers as wel=
l as legislation affecting biopharmaceutical pricing and reimbursement.
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