Novartis looks to Silicon Valley to bolster tech ties as Amazon, Apple and Google push into healthcare

Swiss drugmaker Novartis is looking to strengthen ties with several tech startups as other industry giants like Apple, Google and Amazon move deeper into the healthcare arena, according to Bloomberg.

As part of a new project called Novartis Biome, the drugmaker is working with several startups, including Mekonos, a cell and gene therapy technology developer and Medable, a digital health firm. Both of these startups are based in the Silicon Valley town of Palo Alto, Calif.

The drugmaker also plans to set up innovation labs across the world to connect with other tech companies. The first lab will be in San Francisco.  

"Technology, data and science are all starting to come together," Novartis Chief Digital Officer Bertrand Bodson told Bloomberg. "You see it with the moves from Google, Microsoft and Amazon, and also a lot of startups and entrepreneurs. But healthcare is not an easy space to crack."

Beyond its ties with Silicon Valley, Novartis Biome has formed a partnership with Hitlab, a digital health organization in New York, and is working with Veta Health on projects on heart failure and ConversationHealth for various cancer projects.

Under its CEO Vas Narasimhan, Novartis has shifted its focus heavily to data and new technology. Mr. Narasimhan hired Mr. Bodson, a former Amazon executive, to lead the tech-based initiative in January.

The goal of Novartis Biome is to make it easier for technology players to work with Novartis to enter the complicated healthcare world, according to Mr. Bodson.

"We really wanted to build a bridge," he said.

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