Salesforce Inc. says it's taking multiple large customers from former partner Veeva Systems Inc. in a mounting rivalry to sell software to the pharmaceutical industry.

More than 40 customers, including a "top three global pharma leader," have inked deals to use Salesforce's soon-to-launch life sciences product, said Jeff Amann, executive vice president of Salesforce's industry-specific software lines. Some of those customers are switching from Veeva, he added.