Insilico Medicine and Qilu Pharmaceutical Group have announced a strategic partnership on innovative drug development, leveraging Insilico's proprietary Pharma.AI platform to jointly develop small molecule inhibitors, focusing on specific targets for cardiometabolic disease management.

According to the agreement, Insilico Medicine will utilise its proprietary Pharma.AI platform to focus on the design and optimisation of novel small molecules for treating metabolic diseases, while Qilu Pharmaceutical Group will be responsible for subsequent development and commercialisation procedures.

Weikang Tao, PhD, Board Member, Group VP & Head – Global R&D, Qilu Pharmaceutical Group, said, "As a leading pharmaceutical company in China, Qilu has always attached great importance to the quick advancement of AI technology, in particular, the application of AI in drug R&D and its potential. Insilico is a well-known biotech in AI-powered drug R&D with advanced AI technology and application capabilities. This collaboration marks a deepening of our partnership, evolving from initial software licensing to in-depth, R&D collaboration. We look forward to the smooth progress of this innovative drug discovery and development project through the synergy of Qilu's extensive R&D experience and capabilities and Insilico's advanced AI platform and expertise, thereby to address unmet medical needs and to bring new hope to patients worldwide."

The total contract value approaches USD 120 million, including development and commercialisation milestone payments, as well as single-digit royalties based on net sales.

Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD, Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Business Officer, Insilico Medicine, said, "We are pleased to see Insilico Medicine and Qilu Pharmaceutical further deepen their strategic collaboration driven by generative AI. Recently, Insilico  Medicine unveiled its proprietary cardio-metabolic portfolio at the BIO-Europe conference, covering eight drug candidates ranging from hit to IND-enabling stage, all driven by Pharma.AI in their development process. I believe that strategies targeting cardio-metabolic diseases have the potential to generate the first drugs to achieve large-scale healthspan extension, and I look forward to AI technology accelerating innovation in the field and maximising potential."