The UK’s medicines regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), is starting a new program using artificial intelligence (AI) to help make medicines safer and more reliable. This program, called a ‘regulatory sandbox,’ will give companies and researchers a controlled environment to test AI tools under the watch of regulators. The goal is to see how AI can improve the accuracy of medicine safety checks, better predict risks and side effects, and make sure medicines are safe for everyone. Stronger evidence from these tests will encourage drug companies to invest more in developing new treatments in the UK. UK Health Innovation Minister Preet Gill said: “By giving innovators a safe space to test these tools alongside regulators, we can build the evidence base needed to get safer, more effective treatments to patients faster. That means fewer adverse reactions, less reliance on animal testing, and a smarter, more efficient medicines development process.” The program will also look at how better use of health data can help scientists understand how medicines work in different groups of people, including those often left out of clinical trials. In the first phase, the MHRA will test up to five AI-based approaches. This summer, the MHRA will work with industry and academic partners to set up the rules and structure for the program. MHRA Chief Executive Lawrence Tallon added: “These technologies could help us understand medicines better, generate stronger evidence on their safety, and speed up the development of innovative treatments, especially for conditions with no good options yet. By working directly with developers and researchers, we can help create the right environment for innovation to grow and keep the UK as a leader in life sciences.” This new initiative is part of the UK’s plan to reduce its reliance on animal testing for medicine safety checks. It follows similar efforts by the European Union, which has set goals to phase out animal testing in chemical safety tests. Earlier this year, the European Commission and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also released guidance to increase the use of AI in drug development. Professor Chris Molloy, CEO of the BioIndustry Association (BIA), said: “AI models have the potential to reduce risks in drug development and get treatments to patients faster. But they need to be properly taught, tested, and proven in a safe and controlled environment—which the MHRA’s new sandbox provides.”